Just Another Clace AU
by TalesBeforeMales
Summary: Clary is starting a new semester at high school, and she finds out she'll be stuck with a certain handsome soccer player for English class. They soon become friends, but when everyone around them starts dating, things get complicated... (First fanfic! Criticism welcome, but please don't judge too harshly.)
1. Chapter 1

Clarissa Fray (or Clary, as she preferred to be called) walked down the halls of Alicante High School after her older brother, Jonathan, dropped her off. He wasn't very happy about it, as Idris University was five miles in the other direction, but Clary didn't really want to take the bus, and so Luke told Jon to drive her to school before his first class. She trudged down the hallway to her locker sleepily, wishing she had a cup of hot coffee in her hand (and that she hadn't stayed up last night to play Call of Duty with Simon). She finally made her way through the cheerleaders (how were they so awake in the mornings?) and opened her locker. It wouldn't open, no matter how hard she tried.

"Hey, Fray!"

Clary turned around to see her best friend, Simon Lewis, who was carrying a cup of much needed coffee, which Clary immediately grabbed from his hand and carefully took a sip. "Thanks, Si."

He chuckled. "How did you know that wasn't mine?"

"You don't drink coffee. You drink tea, because you're weird."

Simon raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I just don't like the bitterness, and coffee makes me way too jittery."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I said you're weird." She turned back to her locker, and tried to open it again. It failed. "I'll walk with you to Physics, as soon as I get this thing open."

Simon seemed to be trying not to laugh. "Um… Clary?"

"What?" Her locker still wouldn't open.

"Today's the start of a new semester. You know, new classes, new classmates, new _lockers_ …"

She facepalmed. "Ughhhhh…. I blame being coffee deprived for forgetting."

"You'd think by your senior year, you'd be better at this." Simon laughed. He continued as he fished around in his backpack. "Luckily for you, I've dropped by the counselor's and I've already gotten your class schedule and your locker number, along with my stuff and a coffee for you."

"Simon Lewis, you are a godsend. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're welcome."

Clary looked over her new information. English first period, Spanish second, Physics third… "Where the heck is my locker?"

"It's down the hall in that direction. C'mon, I'll walk you to it. My locker's only a few away from yours, anyways."

They maneuvered down the hall to their new lockers, arguing about comics along the way. Simon was being an idiot and saying that Ares (the Greek god) would win in a fight against the Hulk. Clary very passionately disagreed. "Are you _insane?_ When was the last time you read a Greek myth? Or a Hulk comic? Ares would lose, hands down!" She continued on, until she ran into a wall. Her papers were knocked out of her hand, but she managed to save the coffee. "Ow."

The wall made a sound, as if it were surprised. That was when Clary realized that she hadn't actually run into a wall, but had instead run into the very toned torso of a person. She looked up to see who she had run into, and was met with the amber eyes of Jace Herondale, who was on her brother's soccer team last year. Clary wished she had a pencil, so she could make a quick sketch. She felt herself blushing, and she knew that her entire face was red. "Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood. Where're you going in such a hurry, little girl?" He bent down and got her papers for her. It was clear that even though she knew him (or at least, knew _of_ him), he didn't recognize her.

She muttered a quick thank you and continued down the hall. It was rude, but even though he'd picked up her papers (and had great eyes), she was still extremely annoyed by nicknames. "So, as I was saying, Hulk would _pulverize_ Ares…"

They got to their lockers, and their argument continued. (Simon argued that Ares would win, since he was a god, and therefore the other gods would support him in this epic battle.) Simon ran off to Calculus, which left Clary fighting a sea of people to get to English. She barely made it to the classroom on time, and the bell rang immediately after she entered the classroom. Mrs. Smith, the English teacher looked up. "Hello Clary. Glad you could make it just in time for class. Take a seat."

Clary looked around. Thankfully, there was a seat left somewhere in the middle of the classroom, and she headed towards it and plunked her possessions onto her desk. She was flipping her notebook open when a soft chuckle sounded next to her. She looked over to the person who was sitting next to her, and groaned. It was Jace.

"Hey there, Red."

"Stop calling me that."

"Why not, little girl?"

"My name isn't little girl."

Mrs. Smith cleared her throat. "Attention, everybody. I hope you're fairly pleased with who you're sitting next to right now, as these will be your seats for the next two months while we do our Shakespearean unit." The room filled with a mixture of cheers and groans. "Settle down, everyone," Mrs. Smith continued. "I know it's senior year and you don't really have seating charts anymore, but I need you to sit where you are now for the next two months because we're having discussion groups this quarter, and you'll probably be in these groups for a while. This means no sneaky changing behind my back or when a substitute is here. Let me just copy down where everyone's sitting…" With that, Mrs. Smith sat down at her desk, and everyone started chatting.

"So, Clary, was it?" The confusion must have shown, because he smiled at her. (It was a very nice smile, Clary noted. It also showed the slight chip in his tooth, which was the only imperfection she could find in his otherwise flawless face.) "Mrs. Smith called your name at the beginning of the class."

"Oh." She didn't know what to do next, so she started working on her sketch of Detective Conan in her notebook.

"C'mon, be nice. What're you drawing?" Clary continued to look at her sketchbook, hoping that Jace would stop talking or her cheeks would stop blushing. _Screw my cheeks. Why does he have to be so hot?_ "Why're you so mad at me?"

She put down her pencil. _Ugh, why am I so awkward?_ "I'm not mad at you."

"That's cool." He smiled again. "Why don't we introduce ourselves properly so I don't seem like an absolute creep?"

"Sounds good to me. Clarissa Fray. But you can call me Clary."

"Jace Herondale."

"Nice to meet you."

At the front of the classroom, Mrs. Smith cleared her throat. "Alright, I've finished copying down everyone's seats. Now, our first Shakespearean play…."

…

Jace was just about to find his new locker when someone crashed into him. Looking down, he saw that it was a short redheaded girl, who was blushing so hard her face almost blended into her hair. "Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood. Where're you going in such a hurry, little girl?" If possible, the girl blushed even harder, even though her expression told Jace that she was annoyed. He bent down and retrieved her papers for her, hiding his amusement at her expression. When he stood up, she murmured something and shuffled away awkwardly, continuing her conversation with the nerdy boy she was walking with.

He smiled at the adorable awkwardness she possessed. As he watched the girl walk away, there was a tickle in the back of his mind, as if he knew her somewhere. He couldn't really remember, but she was somewhat familiar to him. He knew that hair colour, he knew those emerald eyes, but how did he know them?

He shook his head, headed to his locker, and went to his first class. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about the redhead and wondering how he knew her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick A/N: Just in case you didn't catch it, Jace was on Jonathan's soccer team last year (he isn't anymore, since Jonathan's in college now), which is how Clary knows Jace (and why Jace thinks Clary's so familiar).**

 **Sorry if I didn't make that clear!**

* * *

The rest of the day wasn't as memorable. She almost screamed in frustration during Calculus, and she met up with Simon in Physics, who had to wake her up during the class. Study Hall was fun, but she had to ask Si to help her with Calculus, and he ended up (basically) doing half of it.

They met up with Maia and Jordan at lunch, but that was kind of awkward since they were making puppy-dog eyes at each other. Clary and Simon just continued their previous conversation about Hulk and Ares, which ended with Simon conceding. (Of course.)

After lunch was Clary's art class, which also happened to be her favorite class. Mrs. Summers was a very laidback teacher, and she let everyone do whatever they wanted to, as long as they could finish a piece of artwork every month and give a five minute presentation about their art. Clary walked in the door and planned to work on one of her sketches. She reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. Clary had just finished drawing her basic outline when she heard someone open the door and walk towards her table.

"Hi, sorry, do you mind if I sit here?"

Clary gestured to the empty seats. "Go ahead." The black-haired girl took a seat and tied her hair up.

"Sorry for bothering you, you seemed pretty interested in your sketch."

Clary smiled. "No worries."

Hey, can I ask you a question?" The girl asked. Clary nodded. "How late am I? I don't usually take art, so I got lost on my way here."

"Fulfilling a requirement, huh?"

The girl smiled back. "How did you know?"

"You're not one of the regulars." Clary continued when she saw the girl's confused look. "Most people take art because it's an easy class and they haven't taken the right amount of classes to graduate. I didn't recognize you as one of the regulars."

"Oh, right. Well, I'm just taking this class because I was one of the last people to sign up for classes. The only classes that were open were Art and Home Economics, and I'm terrible at cooking. I wouldn't want to burn the school down. Besides, I'm okay at nail art, so I figured painting wouldn't be too bad."

"That's cool. I wish I could do my nails. They never end up like they're supposed to. I can't even paint them solid colors. I never have the patience to let them dry."

The girl's eyes lit up. "If you wanted to, you could totally come over sometime and let me do your nails."

Clary grinned. "Cool. Hey, what's your name again? I never caught it."

She laughed. "I've invited you over before I gave you my name. How typical of me." She extended her hand (which were scarlet with little snakes on them). "I'm Isabelle Lightwood, or Izzy for short."

Clary shook her hand. "Clarissa Fray, but call me Clary."

…

They ended up spending the rest of the period talking about their lives. Clary learned that Izzy had a gay older brother in college (Alec) and a younger brother who was obsessed with manga and anime (Max). She also had an incredibly hostile cat who was only friendly towards her younger brother. Clary told Izzy about Jonathan who was in Idris University, her dream school. Izzy also learned about Clary's obsession with drawing and the arts. Clary found out that Izzy was really athletic and on the track team. Somehow, their conversation got suddenly deep.

Izzy hesitated a little bit. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure. YOLO, right?" Clary joked.

"I haven't talked this much to someone who wasn't family in a really long time."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I just don't have a lot of friends. I spend a lot of time with my family, and they've kind of ended up becoming my world," Izzy sighed.

"How did that happen?"

"Well, I grew up with my brothers, and since my parents were really busy, I've always helped take care of Max. I was the one who read bedtime stories to Max and helped him with his homework. Alec always helped, but he was usually busy protecting me from mean neighborhood boys and making sure I was okay. He was usually the one who played soccer with Max, but Max isn't as athletic, so I'm the one who's closer to him.

"As for Alec, he's kind of the reason why I've never really had any friends, especially girls. Guys have always been intimidated by him, and most of them end up ditching me when they find out that I've 'friendzoned' them. As for girls… There was a time where I hung out with a few girls, but it turned out that they were only hanging with me to spend time with Alec. When he came out of the closet, I was happy for him, but those girls ditched me eventually when they found out that they had no chance."

Clary sighed. "I totally get it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I had this friend last year, Celia. It was kind of stupid, actually. She nicknamed herself Seelie and made everyone call her the Seelie Queen," Clary laughed.

Izzy snickered. "Like the fairy?"

"Yup. She hung out with me sometimes, but she would always end up flirting with Jon. Like, whenever we'd watch a movie, she would always invite Jonathan to watch it with us and she'd try to snuggle with him. After a month or so, Jonathan asked her out, and she hasn't talked to me since."

"That's terrible."

"Yeah, it kind of is."

Izzy flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Well, I'd never do anything like that to you, and I promise to hunt down and kill anyone who uses you to get with your brother."

Clary smiled. "And I promise to never try and seduce your gay brother."

"Deal."

…

The bell rung, signaling the end of art, and Izzy and Clary made hurried plans to meet on Friday. Clary ran to AP US History (APUSH) and listened to Maia talk about Jordan for what seemed like hours until Mr. Hodge finally arrived and started droning on and on about Abe Lincoln. (Clary fell asleep six times. Maia counted.) This left Clary with just Spanish and Study Hall left. She barely made it to the Spanish classroom on time, and there she ran into Izzy.

"You take Spanish?"

Izzy smiled. "Yeah. I've always loved the way the language sounds."

"Yeah, but I kind of regret taking it, since my mouth can't make _any_ of the sounds. I feel bad for slaughtering the language."

The rest of the class trickled in, and they spent the rest of the period learning about bibliotecas and baños and how to introduce themselves. Clary struggled through all of it. When the bell rang, she was the first person to run out of the door.

"Oh my gosh, I don't think I can ever learn a new language." Clary sighed.

"It's okay, you just need to pass the class. You're probably never going to speak Spanish after high school."

"But what if I want to run away to Mexico?"

"Why the heck would you want to run away to Mexico?"

Clary sighed. "I don't know, I'm just keeping my options open."

"Clary, stop being silly. You'll be fine. You'll get through it. What's your next period?"

"Study Hall. Finally. I'm saved!"

Izzy pouted. "Dang it, I have English."

Clary smiled. "Good luck! Make sure to sit next to someone you like."

Clary headed down the hall to the Student Center. She was waiting in line to sign in when someone ran into her. "Sorry about that."

She turned around to see Jace. "Oh, hey."

He seemed surprised to see her, but he quickly composed himself and chuckled. "Seems like we can't run into each other without running into each other, huh?"

Clary laughed. "I suppose not. Although I hope this won't continue to happen. If it does, I might get a concussion."

"I suggest you wear a helmet, just in case," Jace grinned. "So, what period do you have?"

"Um, Study Hall." Clary wasn't sure why, but she seemed a little less put together than usual whenever she ran into Jace. She blamed it on her semi-concussed state.

"Oh, I guess we have the same Study Hall, then. Do you want to…" Jace paused in the middle of his sentence.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"No, I was just trying to figure out a way to finish my sentence without sounding like a pedophilic serial killer." Jace shrugged. "Anyways, want to spend Study Hall with me?"

"You're right. You do sound like a pedophilic serial killer. Let me sign in and I'll join you."

…

Clary didn't end up talking to Jace much during Study Hall. She told him she had a bunch of homework to do (which she did), but she couldn't really concentrate on Physics, so she decided to pull out her sketchbook. She continued to work on her original sketch, but she didn't like it as much as she did during Art, so she started a new sketch of a lion with amber eyes.

…

Jace wanted to punch himself in the face. Did he really ask Clary to "spend Study Hall" with him? Who said that? He was internally beating himself up, and he realized that he'd have to spend an entire period with her, which (somehow) made him nervous. They walked over to one of the tables in the Student Center and sat down, and Jace was hoping he didn't smell like sweat from soccer practice. Clary, apparently oblivious to Jace's panic, made small talk and took a seat. She quickly dove into her work, but seemed very confused about her assignment. _The way she furrows her brow is adorable_ , Jace thought. Surprised at his mind, he shook his head and continued to work on English. However, he couldn't really focus on _The Tempest_ and ended up sneaking peeks at Clary. _Where do I know her from? She seems so familiar._ She looked up from her work, and Jace quickly looked back down to _The Tempest_. "How's your work going?"

"It's okay."

"Oh, really? What part are you on?"

"Um…"

"Have you even read anything yet, lemonhead?"

 _Lemonhead? Isn't that something Jon used to say?_ Jace looked at Clary, and it started growing on him. _Didn't Jon always have a redhead around him? Who was she? His girlfriend. No, he always got super pissed whenever anyone suggested that. Cousin? No. Sister? That's it._ "Oh my gosh, you're Jon's little sister. That's how I know you."

Instead of looking incredibly creeped out, Clary smirked at Jace. "So you do remember, huh? I thought you just didn't notice me. I never really went to the soccer games, anyways."

"No, no, no. I do remember, I'm just not good with faces. I totally remember you. Also, that came out a lot creepier than it was supposed to."

"Nah, it's fine. I totally have attract- um, athletic boys randomly coming up to me and saying that they remember me from my brother's soccer team. Happens to me all the time." Jace looked over at her, and sure enough, Clary was blushing again.

Thankfully for Clary, the bell rung, and she escaped before Jace had a chance to tease her (or embarrass himself again).

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading all of this, guys! I know it's a bit crap, and this chapter was kind of a filler chapter, but I'm really grateful for all of you who are reading this. In fact, I'm surprised at how many people have read the first chapter! I'm amazed at the number of people who have seen this, and I'm so encouraged by the number of people who favorited/followed this story when all that's out is just the first chapter. I promise to write a longer/better chapter next week!**

 **(Also, I have no idea how Fanfiction works, so bear with me and my crappy A/N formatting.)**

 **(And yes, I will try to write a chapter a week.)**


	3. Chapter 3

The next day came, and Clary was coffee deprived once again. She stumbled out of her house, almost late for school, and was greeted by Simon (who usually gave her a ride, but was too busy yesterday). After crawling into his beat up car, she immediately said, "I feel like crap, and I probably look like crap."

"Java Jones?" Simon asked.

"Did you even need to ask?"

…

After the brief coffee run, Clary felt much better. She split up with Simon right before the warning bell, wishing she could take her coffee to class with her. Clary slipped into the classroom, and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Ow." A familiar voice came from behind her. _Crap. Did I break someone's nose?_

"Oh, I'm so sorry –" She turned around and was once again met with the one and only Jace Herondale.

"I'm wounded, Clary. We've only officially met yesterday, and now you're trying to destroy my face?"

"Yup. Don't take it too personally."

"I am taking it extremely personally. My face is my best feature. Well, really, my body is my best feature. And my personality. I have no flaws."

"Your arrogance is a flaw. Maybe I was trying to lower your ego when I tried to break your nose." She smiled up at him brightly. He chuckled.

"It's nice to see you again, Fray."

"I can't say the same to you, Herondale. Although, it's awfully strange and impersonal to call someone by their last name. You could be greeting me _or_ my brother. What if he were behind me, and I didn't realize that? I'd make a fool of myself." She walked over to her desk and sat down. He followed her.

"The same could be said of first names. What if there were a Clary or a Clarissa behind you, and I were talking to her instead of you? You wouldn't know."

"Right, but I'm saying that it's more personal to say people's first names. It's what most people do. I don't know about you, but when I greet people, I'm trying to do so in the most efficient way possible. Herondale simply has too many syllables for a simple greeting, and it sounds too formal for just a casual acknowledgement. It would definitely be more accurate for me to say 'Morning, Jace Herondale,' but time is precious, and I'm not going to waste my time by saying both of your names when I could just say a monosyllabic word and get it over with."

Jace smiled. "Actually, it would be more accurate to say Jonathan Christopher Herondale."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My actual legal name is Jonathan Christopher. Jace is a nickname, but don't tell anyone." He winked at her. "Most people don't know that."

"Why not?"

"Jace comes from my initials: JC. If everyone knew, then they'd start pronouncing my name like Jacey. Imagine people calling me Jacey," he shuddered.

Clary grinned. "What's so bad about Jacey? I'm sure that's what your girlfriend would want to call you." Her heart sunk at the thought of Jace's girlfriend, but her grin only grew wider. She spoke in a high-pitched voice. "Jacey-poo, where are you? C'mon Jacey Wacey, we'll be late to prom."

"My point exactly. And I'm actually surprisingly single." Clary couldn't stop herself from smiling, so she transformed it into a smirk.

"I thought you were supposed to be flawless, not perpetually single."

Jace shot her a look. "Who said I'm perpetually single? I choose not to date the pathetic girls who throw themselves at me. Regardless of what you think, I have standards, okay?" He seemed slightly stung by her comment, but she didn't have a chance to apologize. The bell rung, and Mrs. Smith got up to talk about the relationship between Prospero and Miranda.

…

By the time lunch rolled around, Jace seemed to have forgotten about Clary's teasing. When she asked if he would like to sit with her for lunch, he accepted. She also invited Izzy, who obliged happily. It was a bit awkward at first, but eventually, Maia and Jordan started playing footsie, and Clary and Simon exchanged a look.

"I don't know about you, but I'm personally extremely against PDA," Clary whispered.

"Well, I'm okay with it as long as you aren't swapping spit," Izzy replied.

"Yeah, I guess hand-holding is fairly acceptable," Simon commented.

"Are you sure? Even if you're not shoving your tongue into each others throats, it's pretty gross if you're always attached to each other." Clary shuddered.

Jace nudged Clary. "Maybe you're just extremely intolerant of other people's relationships."

Clary frowned. "I don't think so. I just dislike relationships where people lose their ability to function independently. And when people stop being in a relationship and start becoming Siamese twins."

"I think you're just becoming President Snow. 'They're holding hands. I want them dead,'" Simon chuckled.

Izzy grinned. "Hunger Games, right?"

Simon looked surprised. "How did you know?"

"I read the books after I watched the first movie. They're pretty good. Hey, isn't the last movie coming out soon? We should totally go watch it as a giant group."

Simon exchanged looks with Clary. They had planned to watch it together, but Clary shrugged. "Sure," Simon said. "Why not?" They made plans to go see it on Saturday, since Clary and Izzy were hanging out on Friday, and Simon was planning on going to his sister's charity thing. They joked around for the rest of lunch, and Maia and Jordan even stopped playing footsie to joke around with them.

…

Later that week, Clary was walking to Izzy's house. Izzy had scribbled her address on Clary's arm, and if Clary wasn't mistaken, Izzy lived a few blocks away. However, when she rung the doorbell, she wasn't sure if Izzy gave her the right address.

"Um… Hey, Jace." Clary stared up at Jace, who was wearing a thin black shirt, despite the cold November weather.

"Hey, shortcake." Jace grinned down at her.

She looked up at him uncertainly. "Is this the right address? I'm looking for Izzy."

"She's upstairs." Jace smirked. "You look awfully adorable in a beanie."

"It's November. It's cold. Let me wear my tattered old beanie without you judging my fashion sense." Clary was pretty sure she was blushing, but she blamed it on the cold air. "Are you going to let me in or not?" Jace grinned his Cheshire cat grin, but finally held the door open for her.

Clary stepped in and looked at the massive living room. It was full of old-fashioned Renaissance-style paintings of angels and war scenes. "Nice paintings."

Jace sighed. "Yeah, the ones with the angels belong to Maryse, Izzy's mom. The military art belongs to Robert, Izzy's dad."

Suddenly, they heard a door open. "Jace, is that Clary?" Izzy called.

"No, it's a monkey in a tutu," Jace yelled sarcastically.

Clary could practically hear Izzy rolling her eyes. "You can come up whenever. I'll leave the door open."

"Okay, thanks!" Clary called back. She turned to Jace. "Thanks for letting me in, I guess. Bye." She smiled at him and ran up the stairs. Upstairs, there was an open door where Taylor Swift's _1989_ was blasting out of a portable speaker. "Hey, Izzy."

Izzy looked up, as if surprised. She was still tidying up and getting nail polish out of cupboards. "Oh hey. I didn't expect you to come upstairs so soon."

Clary furrowed her brow. "Why not?"

"I just thought you'd talk to Jace a little bit. You guys seem to be getting along pretty well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Most people just spend half an hour talking to him. Do you know what you want on your nails?"

Clary smiled shyly. "I was thinking of something Hunger Games related, since we're going to watch the movie tomorrow. Nothing too complicated, since I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. Maybe just some simple flames?"

Izzy beamed. "Sure, we can totally do that. Why don't you start by putting a base coat on? I'm sure I have some black here somewhere." Izzy decided to do intricate blue flames, since the Mockingjay book cover was blue. After Clary had finished her base coat, she decided to ask Izzy a question.

"Hey, is there anything going on between you and Jace?" she asked tentatively.

Izzy, who was starting to work on her flames, almost knocked over the blue nail polish. "What? No! That would be so gross. Where did you get that idea from?" She mimicked barfing onto the floor.

"Oh. I was just wondering why he was here," Clary said. _Do I sound like I care? I hope I don't. Because I don't care._

"He's just here to hang out with Alec. They're best friends, even though Alec's in college now."

"That's nice. I didn't see Alec when I came upstairs, though. Where is he?"

Izzy glanced at the clock. "Oh, he's not here yet. He'll probably get home in a few minutes. My parents kind of accept Jace as their own son, since his mom passed away." Reading Clary's expression, she continued. "He doesn't really remember his her, since she died when he was four. He lives with his dad, but his dad's a businessman, so Jace spends most of his time here, in our guest room." Izzy paused. "Don't tell him that I told you that. He might murder me. I'm not too sure yet."

"Too sure of what?"

"My potential death depends on how he feels about you, so we'll see what happens." Izzy yawned. "Let's change the subject. Everyone always gets so uncomfortable when they learn about Jace. They forget that he's still him."

Clary cleared her throat. "Well, can I ask about the paintings?"

Izzy laughed. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot about those. My parents are really into Renaissance art. It's pretty much the only thing that keeps them together."

"I see." Clary bit her lip, but decided to continue her question. "It's kind of weird, isn't it? The only paintings I saw were religious art and military art."

"Yeah, my mom's into the angels and crap. Then you have my dad, who likes the wars and mass destruction." Izzy laughed humorlessly.

"Um… What do they do for a living?"

"Mom's a lawyer, and dad does some government thing. He doesn't like to talk about it, so we don't ask." Izzy shrugged as she continued to work on her nails. Since it was getting a little too awkward, Clary decided to change the subject. "Hey, do you think I should I add another coat, or should I draw the flames now?"

…

Clary learned a very important rule of nail art that day: when you painted your nails, you weren't allowed to do anything with your hands. No texting, no typing, nothing. You could accidentally smudge your nail polish, and then you'd have to start over again. After Izzy handed Clary a small brush, Clary felt right at home and started drawing tiny flames on each of her fingers. They talked about Mockingjay and what they were excited for and what parts they knew they were going to cry during. Izzy made a joke about people having a blast in Mockingjay, and ended up traumatizing Clary. Isabelle ended up asking about Clary's childhood, and Clary told Izzy a bunch of silly stories about her childhood with Simon, which led to Izzy telling Clary a bunch of stories about Jace.

Clary ended up finishing her minimalist flames before Izzy, so she headed downstairs to get some fresh air and a glass of water while Izzy finished up. When she got downstairs, she looked around, trying to figure out how to get to the kitchen. "Hey." A voice came from behind Clary, and she recognized it as Jace's.

"Hey, Jace. What's up?" Clary smiled up at him.

"Nothing much," Jace replied, smiling back softly. Clary felt warmer, like the feeling you have when you drink hot chocolate on a cold winter day. Remembering what she came downstairs for, Clary cleared her throat.

"Um, just wondering, but… Do you know where the kitchen is?"

"Yeah, it's over there." Jace pointed behind Clary. "I was actually going to get some food, so I'll lead you there." They walked to the kitchen in silence, until Clary saw the kitchen.  
"Seriously, all of you tall people," Clary muttered under her breath. The kitchen had many cupboards and shelves, most of which were out of Clary's reach. Jace laughed at her.

"Do you need me to get something for you, shortcake?"

"Don't call me shortcake."

"Aww, c'mon." He grinned at her. "What do you need? A bowl? A plate?"

"A cup," Clary sighed.

"What about a cup?" Jace pushed.

"Please sir, could I have a cup?" Clary batted her eyelashes sarcastically.

"Sure thing, sugarplum." Jace smirked at her and reached up. Clary couldn't help but stare at the thin stretch of skin that was revealed when his shirt rose up. She looked away when Jace turned around, but Jace still caught her staring. "Like what you see?"

Clary blushed almost as hard as the flames on her nails. "It's not fair. You're tall and in shape." When Jace laughed at this, Clary got annoyed. "I hope you enjoy my tall-people envy."

"I do, Clary. I really do." He looked down at her, noticing her nails. "Hey, nice nails." He reached out to examine her hand, holding it gingerly in his own as if she were fragile and could be broken at any moment. "Why did you choose flames?"

"I thought it'd be fitting for the Hunger Games movie, since we're all going to watch that tomorrow."

"That's cool. Did you do it or did Izzy do it for you?"

"I did it, but Izzy lent me the brush."

He smiled at her. "You did a really good job. They look nice." Realizing he was holding her hand, he let go and – Clary wasn't sure if she imagined it, but she thought his face turned a little pink. He quickly recovered and grinned. "Your fingers smell really bad, though."

"It's not my fault that they smell like wet paint. Technically, they actually are covered in wet paint."

"I suppose that's true." Jace cleared his throat and raised his eyebrow. "Did you just come down here for the cup?"

"Did you just come down here to help me get a cup?" she retorted. She went to the sink and filled the cup up.

Jace rolled his eyes and headed over to the cupboard. He got a can of mangoes out, along with a spoon from a drawer. Clary just stared at him. "What?" he mumbled around the spoon. "I like mangoes."

"You're really weird."

He took the spoon out of his mouth and pouted at her, while opening the can and taking a scoop of mangoes out of the can. He put the mangoes in his mouth and moaned. Clary laughed. "I'll give you two some alone time, then," she teased as she left the kitchen.

…

Clary ended up chatting with Izzy until the sun started setting. "Crap," she exclaimed, hopping up. "Luke was expecting me to come home an hour ago." Clary started gathering her things into her messenger bag.

"Yeah, but do you need me to walk home with you? The sun's setting pretty quickly." Izzy peered out of her window nervously.

Clary glanced at the window. "Nah, I'll be fine if I walk quickly. It's a fifteen-minute walk from my house to yours, and I'll be fine. Besides, if I made you walk me home, then you'll have to walk home all by yourself, and it'll be dark by then."

"I can always make Jace walk you home."

Clary was about to refuse politely when Jace barged into Izzy's room. "Did I hear my name?"

Izzy beamed at Jace. "Can you walk Clary home?"

"Can't she walk home by herself?" Isabelle threw a pillow at his face. "Ow! Okay, I'll walk her home. Let me just tell Alec." With that, Jace disappeared from Izzy's room.

"Izzy, it's really fine. I can totally walk home by myself. It's not too dark yet, and I don't want to inconvenience anyone."

Izzy smiled at her. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Jace will definitely be okay with walking you home. And he'll fend off all the creepy cat-callers or potential stalkers, so it's a nice bonus, isn't it?"

"I guess," Clary sighed. She collected her stuff, while thinking, _How are you sure that he's okay with walking me home?_

"Do you have all your stuff?" Izzy asked. Clary nodded. "Cool. You better leave before it gets too dark. Bye, Clary! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Izzy! See you tomorrow!" Clary left the room and Izzy shut the door behind her. _I hope she's not angry with me. It almost seems as if she wants me to leave._ She went searching for Jace. "Jace?"

"In here!" A muffled voice came from the opposite end of the hallway.

Clary opened the door to a very plain room. It was white and bare, fit for a monk. The only things in the room were a bed, a desk, and a closet. There was also another boy in there, although he looked very different from Jace. The other boy was a little taller than Jace, and he had black hair and blue eyes, which was an interesting combination. Unlike Jace, this boy seemed perpetually wary of the world, as if he were constantly looking for potential danger. (Jace, on the other hand, always seemed bored by the universe, as if there was nothing on earth that could possibly interest him or be worth of his time.) Even though they looked so different, this boy was also extremely attractive, even though he was only wearing a holey sweater and a pair of jeans. _Dang it,_ Clary thought. _Are all of these people supermodels?_ The boy stared at her. _I assume this is the gorgeous gay brother who I'm not supposed to hit on._ "Um… hey Jace. Hi, Alec?" She ended it as a question.

"Who are you?" Alec asked.

"I'm Clary." She smiled at him. "I was just hanging out with your sister."

"Izzy?" Alec raised an eyebrow. _Crap. He can raise an eyebrow. I can't do that. Jace can do that. Am I the only one who can't do that?_  
"Yup, that's the one," Clary said in a false cheery tone. "Do you have other sisters?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Oh. Um… Okay." Clary stood there awkwardly. She decided it would be less awkward if she just talked to Jace. "You don't have to walk me home. I'll be fine."

"No, I promised Izzy, and she'd slaughter me if I let you go out alone." He stood up and accompanied her out of the room.

As Clary descended the stairs and saw a few more Renaissance paintings, she muttered, "Gosh, these are creepy paintings. Like, I love art, and I love the Renaissance, but these particular paintings creep the crap out of me."

Jace chuckled.

…

While Jace was locking up the door behind him, Clary couldn't stop herself from asking him a question. "Hey Jace?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you and Alec…" Clary could feel her cheeks turning red. "… together?"

Jace looked at her, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. He actually had to sit down on his doorstep. When he calmed down, he gasped, "That's precious. You know, a lot of people have asked me if I'm dating Izzy, but this is the first time someone has asked if I'm dating Alec." He smiled warmly up at Clary. "No, I'm not gay. And I'm definitely not dating Alec."

Clary breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I didn't want to be interrupting something." She looked down at Jace. "Get up before your butt freezes to your doorstep."

"It's not even snowing yet. How would that even happen?" Jace muttered. "Help me up?" He extended his hand out to Clary. Clary took it, and Jace yanked on it. Clary would have ended up landing on Jace's chest, except Jace caught her at the last second. They remained like that, with Jace holding Clary awkwardly and Clary on top of Jace for a few seconds before Jace realized that – _holy crap_ – Clary was on top of him and they were practically cuddling. Jace fought to control his voice. "Alright, Clary. I know you want to stay in my arms forever, but you need to get up if you want to get home before dark."

Clary sniffled. "I can't. I think I sprained my ankle."

 _Crap crap crap crap crap –_ "Are you okay?"

Clary sprang to her feet instantly. "Yup. I just wanted to make you panic." She giggled at his expression. "Jon does that to me all the time, and it really isn't fair, you know." She fluttered her eyelashes at him innocently. "I'm such a tiny little girl, and you really shouldn't bully me, Jace. You could end up hurting me."

Jace got up to his feet. "You're such an evil human being."

Clary laughed. "Thanks. I try." She started walking down the Lightwood's driveway, leaving Jace to catch up. "So, if you and Alec weren't in your bedroom to make out or anything, why was he there?"

"Oh, I just told him that I had to walk Izzy's friend home, and I went to my room to look for my phone. Alec just followed me in there."

"Oh." A moment of silence passed between them before Clary spoke up again. "Does Alec hate me?"

Jace frowned down at Clary. Her eyes were full of worry. "Probably not. He's just a little awkward around strangers. He doesn't know how to act." Jace grinned. "Don't worry. He'll probably warm up to you after he realizes you don't worship me like I'm the epitome of male beauty." He paused. "Which is ridiculous, because I am the epitome of male beauty."

"You're also the epitome of human stupidity, vanity, and arrogance," Clary replied. She sighed. "Do you think Izzy's mad at me?"

"Clary, do you really think Izzy would spend two hours painting her nails with you if she were mad at you? Believe me, you'll know it when Isabelle Lightwood is pissed. You'll feel it in your bones if she's pissed at _you_. In which case you should run in the opposite direction. Your life may depend on it," Jace shuddered.

"Then why did she practically shove me out of her room?"

Jace's expression darkened. "Oh."

"What?"

His face went from murderous to perfectly unconcerned in a split second. "That's nothing. You don't need to worry about that. I'll talk to her about it, don't worry." He smiled. "But that definitely means she isn't angry at you."

Clary was mildly creeped out by how quickly Jace masked his emotions, but she smiled back. "That's good." Her eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Where's Max? I was looking forward to potentially meeting him today."

"Get your pedophilic hands off of my best friend's little brother."

Clary rolled her eyes. "He just sounds like a cool kid, that's all. It's nice to be able to talk to someone new about anime or comics."

"You're such a nerd." Jace cleared his throat. "He's at a birthday party. He'll be back later."

"Oh. Are Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood with him?"

"No, they're at work."

"Oh."

He ran his hand through his hair, and Clary wished her hair could be as perfect as his. He grinned at her. "You know, it's almost insulting how you're walking next to the epitome of male beauty and the only thing you want to talk about is the Lightwoods."

Clary rolled her eyes. "I do actually have a question about you."

"See? We both know you can't resist my charms, so you don't need to pretend anymore." He flashed her a smile.

She rolled her eyes again. "Why's your room so empty and white?" Clary elbowed him in the side. "I thought teenage boys were supposed to be messy."

"It's a bit complicated. It's not actually my room; it's the Lightwood's guest room. I don't actually live there, which is why my name isn't Lightwood."

"I know. Don't kill her, but Izzy told me."

"Oh." He put his hands in his pockets. "I guess that's good, since I don't have to tell you my sob story now."

"Yeah."

"I just don't want to bother them or have them tidy up after me, so I keep everything nice and clean." He sighed. "Although my room at home is practically identical to that. Maybe it's just in my nature to be nice and clean."

"Nah, you're not that nice." Clary glanced at his sullen expression and knew that he was thinking darker thoughts. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. "I wish I could do nail art like Izzy. She's really good at it. I actually had to ask her to do my right hand, since I'm not ambidextrous."

"Izzy isn't ambidextrous, either."

"She might as well be ambidextrous. You didn't see the amount of control she had in her left hand. It's amazing."

"You're so easily impressed." Jace raised an eyebrow.

"Only by things that actually matter." Clary saw Jace raising his eyebrow and groaned. "Seriously? Why is everyone able to do that? Am I literally the only person in the universe who can't do that?" Jace laughed. Clary stared at him. "You're mean." She stuck her tongue out.

Before they knew it, they had reached Clary's house. "This is my humble abode," Clary sighed.

"Are you trying to impress me with your fancy-schmancy word choice?" Jace chuckled. "That doesn't usually work for me, but I'll make an exception for you."

Clary laughed and gave Jace a quick hug. She also didn't notice how Jace went rigid. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jace. Thanks for walking me home." She walked up the driveway and into her house.

"See you tomorrow," Jace whispered, long after she'd left.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is extremely long, and I'm probably not going to write anything that's this long ever again.**

 **Also, is it egotistical for me to fangirl over my own writing? Because that hand-holding scene. And that falling-on-top-of-Jace thing. :)**

 **Last thing: I don't know if any of you guys are from France or know anyone from France, but stay safe, okay?**


	4. Chapter 4

Clary made her way down the cold street, wishing that her cardigan were warmer. It was getting cold, and Clary thought it would start snowing soon. She walked to Izzy's house, admiring the last hints of autumn in the streets along the way. Most shops had already put up Christmas decorations, despite the fact that Thanksgiving hadn't come yet. She rounded the corner to Izzy's house, and saw Maia talking with Jordan in front.

"Clary!" Maia's voice carried down the street, and Clary ran over to give her a hug. Jordan leaned on the fence next to her, in his trademark letter jacket.

"Aren't you guys cold?" Clary asked.

"No, we're fine. I'm just worried Simon will get lost, so I made Jordan wait out here with me," Maia replied with a smile.

"Well, I'm going to go inside while you guys freeze to death out here," Clary laughed as she walked past Maia and Jordan.

Clary practically ran to Izzy's doorstep, knocking on the door as loudly as she could without being rude.

"The door's unlocked!" Izzy called from inside.

Clary stepped into the (mercifully) warm house and saw Jace sitting on the couch, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. She stared at him.  
He looked up from his phone. "I know I'm gorgeous, but you don't need to stare."

"What the heck? How are you planning to stay warm? You'll become a human popsicle. It's like 50 degrees Fahrenheit out there." ( **A/N: That's 10 degrees Celsius.)**

Jace shrugged and focused his amber eyes on Clary. "I'm hot. Very hot." He grinned.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Where's Izzy?"

"Here!" Izzy descended the staircase, wearing a pleather miniskirt and a pleather jacket with an intricate braid down the side of her head. She also wore 7-inch boots, which seemed a bit extreme, as she was already taller than most girls without them. "Is Simon here yet?"

Clary peered out of the window. "No, but he'll probably be here soon. He's just not very good with directions."

Izzy laughed. "Do you want a drink?"

Clary hesitated. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Don't worry about it." Izzy smiled.

"Do you guys have any coffee?"

"Sugar or milk?"

"Just a little bit of sugar."

Jace quickly cut in. "Why would you want coffee? You wouldn't want coffee. You're not thirsty at all. If you're thirsty for anything, you're thirsty for water. From the tap." He looked pleadingly at Clary, mouthing _Save yourself_.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "I can make coffee, Jace."

"No, you really can't." Jace mumbled under his breath.

Izzy glared at him. "What did you say?"

He cleared his throat. "I said, um… Of course you can. What else would I have said?" Jace laughed nervously.

"Good. That's what I thought you said." Izzy smiled sweetly at Jace and headed off to the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Jace whispered frantically, "Don't drink the coffee, Clary. Don't. Save yourself."

"Um… Okay?" Clary seemed very confused.

"The thing is," Jace went on, as if Clary had said nothing, "Izzy can't cook. At all. She burns everything. If she offers you food, make sure it's takeout." Jace stared into Clary's eyes solemnly. "Promise me that you'll make sure it's takeout."

Clary sincerely thought it couldn't be that bad, but she nodded her head anyway. "I promise I'll make sure it's takeout."

"Quit telling everyone I can't cook!" Izzy yelled from the kitchen.

"I'm just telling Clary about how delicious your food is," Jace replied. "Good luck," he whispered to Clary as Izzy walked back to the living room.

"Here you go, Clary." Izzy handed Clary her coffee, and Clary cautiously took a sip. She had to stop herself from spitting it out. The coffee had a stale (but burnt) taste to it, and it was room temperature and watery. Izzy had also added salt instead of sugar, making the coffee an abomination to a coffee addict like Clary. Luckily, Simon arrived at that exact moment, so Clary didn't have to drink any more of the coffee.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I got pretty lost." Simon was breathing heavily, like he'd just run a mile.

Izzy smiled. "Now that everyone's here, let's go." She glanced worriedly at Clary. "Do you want to finish your coffee?"

Clary smiled weakly at Izzy. "It's so good, but I wouldn't want to miss the movie."

Izzy smiled sympathetically. "Oh well. I can always make more for you when we get back."

Clary just smiled. As Izzy locked up the door behind her, Jace whispered in her ear. "Don't worry, I'll hide the coffee."

"Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me."

…

As they walked down the street, Jordan and Maia walked in front of the group, holding hands and chatting. Simon (who was on the school paper) was asking Izzy about the track team, while Clary and Jace walked behind them in a comfortable silence.

Jace was the first to speak. "So how bad was it?"

Clary, who was caught up in her thoughts, looked up at Jace. "How bad was what?"

"The Spanish Inquisition." Jace rolled his eyes. "The coffee Izzy made you, of course."

Clary groaned. "I forgot about that until now. Thanks for making me remember. Do you have any gum?"

Jace offered her a stick. "Snatched it on my way out. Rule one of the Lightwood household: keep gum or candy somewhere near you, in case Izzy feels like cooking."

Clary accepted the gum thankfully. "It was so bad. She added salt instead of sugar. And the coffee was somehow burnt and cold _at the same time_." Clary shuddered. "I don't know how it's even possible to make coffee taste that bad."

Jace chuckled. "Believe me, Izzy has a talent for ruining foods." He shuddered. "She tried to make a cake for Max's birthday last year. It didn't end well."

"What happened?"

"The cake was burnt but also undercooked, and there was a thin layer of eggshell at the bottom of the cake. She asked me to try it, and I threw up for two hours after that." Jace looked traumatized. "Never eat anything Izzy makes."

"That could have been worse. Instead of you being poisoned, Izzy could have accidentally poisoned all of the kids."

"Are you saying my well-being isn't as important as the well-being of a horde of children?"

Clary smiled. "I'm saying it was very honorable of you to sacrifice yourself." She frowned. "Don't let that go to your head, though. Your ego is big enough already."

Jace laughed.

…

After they got their tickets, Clary worried that they would get bad seats, since the line into the theater was very long. What Clary didn't remember was that Jace was with them. A group of teenage girls at the beginning of the line ended up letting them cut when Jace smiled at them. They glared at Izzy (and for some reason, Clary), but when Jace winked at them, Clary heard a collective sigh from the group. They filed into the theater, and they ended up sitting in the fifth row, so Clary was grudgingly thankful for Jace's charm. Maia demanded to sit in the aisle, and Jordan wanted to sit next to her, so the seating order ended up being Maia, Jordan, Simon, Izzy, Clary, and Jace. Clary and Izzy whispered excitedly about the movie as the theater lights started to dim.

…

 **(A/N: I haven't watched the Mockingjay movie yet, so I'm just guessing at reactions based on the book and the trailers)**

"I can't believe it's over," Clary sighed. She felt empty inside.

Izzy was clutching a tissue, and Simon was awkwardly patting her shoulder. Maia, on the other hand, was burrowing her face into Jordan's shoulder.

Clary gathered her things and got up, motioning to Izzy and Jordan to get up too. They filed out of the theater, and Izzy and Maia went to the washroom to compose themselves. The sun had already set, and Clary checked her phone. _5:24_ , it read. "Dinner?" she asked the guys. Jordan nodded.

"There's a Subway near here," Simon said, checking his phone.

"Oooh. I can totally do Subway," Clary sighed.

"You seem awfully chipper," Jordan said while taking off his jacket, trying to get rid of the tearstain Maia left in the shoulder.

"I don't really cry during movies," Clary replied.

Simon snorted. "Please, do you remember _Inside Out_?"

"That was, like, the only time. I didn't expect to cry! Besides, I'm pretty sure I was PMSing."

"Hey guys," Izzy marched up to them, smiling brightly. Maia smiled blearily next to her.

"Hey. We were thinking about grabbing dinner before we head home," Clary explained. "Simon found a Subway near here."

Simon headed off down the street, and Clary chatted with Izzy about the movie and their feels. Eventually, Izzy got a call from her parents, and Clary let her have her privacy. Jace moved up next to Clary, and cleared his throat. "So what did you think of the movie?"

"It was good. I'll miss the movies. The franchise is over, and that's kind of sad." Clary sighed and shrugged. "How about you?"

"I never really got into the books, although Izzy forced me to read the trilogy. I forgot the plot, though."

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Sure."

"I don't actually like The Hunger Games that much."

Jace gasped in mock horror. "How dare you?"

"Yeah, I didn't discover the books until Simon did, and he accidentally spoiled a lot of things. On top of that, I just find the writing a bit… flat. I picked it up right after I read Harry Potter, so that might be it." She sighed. "I probably expected too much." She looked up at the street sign. "Do you know where we are?"

"No, but we've been walking for a while." Jace called to Simon. "Are we almost there?"

"We might have a little… problem." Simon looked nervously at everyone.

Clary sighed. "What is it, Simon?"

"I may have taken a wrong turn. Or three."

Everyone groaned and there was a chorus of _Simon, why?_ While everyone else was distracted, Jace silently snuck up next to a distressed Simon and snatched the phone from his hand. "We went in the wrong direction," he declared. Jace looked down at Simon's phone again, and headed back down the street. Simon sighed, slouching aggressively. Jordan patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

Clary appeared next to Izzy. "Is Jace good with directions, or will we be wandering around for another fifteen minutes?"

"Jace was a Boy Scout. He did all the camping and crap, so I think he'll be okay."

"You never know. Simon was a Boy Scout, too."

"Well, Jace also went on a road trip during freshman year." Izzy paused. "Simon was a Boy Scout?"

"Kind of. He went to a few meetings, learned how to tie a few knots, and kind of went camping." Clary laughed. "They went to a farm, but he swore to never leave 'civilization' after that."

"You guys know each other so well." Izzy said, with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"We grew up together, so we share a lot of memories."

Izzy bit her lip. "So… have you guys ever dated?"

Clary smiled. "No. I mean, kind of, but not really." She saw Izzy's confused face and went on. "It was the eighth grade, and we had a graduation party. Simon invited me as his date, and we kind of tried to date each other before we realized that we didn't like each other that way."

"Oh." Izzy hesitated. "Has he gone out with other people?" she asked curiously.

"Just Maia, a really long time ago." Clary furrowed her brow. "I think it was freshman year? I'm not too sure. He asked her out, but they never got serious." Clary rolled her eyes. "They started arguing, Maia broke up with him, and Simon told me he partly asked her out because of peer pressure, which is extremely idiotic. A few months later, Maia met Jordan, and the rest is history." Clary cleared her throat. "He's been single ever since," she added nonchalantly. "That is, if you don't count all the fictional characters."

Izzy smiled. "You know, Jace has never been in a serious relationship, either." She snorted. "I wonder if it's just a teenage boy thing."

Clary lifted her eyebrows. "You're telling me _Jace Herondale_ hasn't dated anyone?"

"Only casually. He dated this girl named Kaelie last month, and before that it was Aline… You know, I don't really remember all of them. There are too many." Izzy sighed. "I'm pretty sure there's a Jace Herondale ex-girlfriend support group."

"That's kind of… harsh."

"I mean, he doesn't really mean it, and he tries to be nice about it. It's usually he asks them to a dance or a movie and they go out for coffee a few times and Jace realizes that he doesn't like them like that and they get dumped." Izzy looked up at the sky. "Sometimes I worry about him. He's never had a crush or anything. On anyone." Izzy sighed. "I don't know. We'll see what happens." She smiled at Clary, which she thought was odd.

In front of them, Jace suddenly stopped. "We're here," he declared. Everyone cheered.

"Gosh dang it," Simon whispered in Clary's ear. "Why's he good at everything?"

Clary laughed and gave him a quick hug. "Don't worry, Si. We still love you." She walked into Subway, oblivious to the fact that Jace was glaring at Simon murderously.

…

After everyone finished eating, they stayed there and chatted for a while. (The employee looked a bit glum, but cheered up a bit when Jace went up to the counter to ask for some napkins.) Clary ended up going to the bathroom, and Maia followed her. "Oh my gosh," Maia exclaimed, once she was sure everyone else couldn't hear her. "Can you believe how cute Simon and Izzy are?"

Clary smiled. "They would be adorable, wouldn't they?"

"They so _would_. I hope Simon has the guts to ask her out," Maia squealed.

Clary snorted. "Please, if we're waiting on _Simon_ to make a move, we might as well wait for pigs to fly."

"True that, but what else can we do?" The two girls sighed in unison, thinking. Maia suddenly frowned. "Hey, if Simon and Izzy get together, wouldn't that make you and Jace the only ones who are single?"

"I suppose so."

Maia waggled her eyebrows. "So… are you going to make a move?"

"Um… no." Maia looked at Clary knowingly.

"If you say so," Maia said, right before she slipped into the bathroom.

Clary banged on the stall door. "Wait, Maia! I really need to pee!"

…

While Maia and Clary were going to the washroom, the Subway employee decided to talk to Jordan and Jace. Jace was shamelessly flirting, while Jordan was trying to be polite without leading her on. Izzy rolled her eyes and turned to Simon. "This happens all the time."

Simon looked mildly surprised. "Does it?"

"Yup." Izzy looked at Simon and wondered how to go about saying what she wanted to say. "So…"

"So…?" Simon looked at Izzy, his brown eyes questioning.

"Thanks for not making fun of me crying at the movie earlier. " Izzy shuffled in her chair, uncomfortable.

"Oh." Simon looked surprised. "It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it." He flashed a smile at Izzy, and looked down at his phone to hide the faint blush on his face.

 _He's kind of cute, isn't he?_ Izzy smiled at him. "Still, thanks. I don't really like crying in public, and Jace always makes fun of me, so it was nice for you to try and comfort me. It was really sweet."

Simon's blush became a little more visible. "Really, don't worry about it."

They sat there together quietly, with Simon blushing and staring at his phone, and Izzy smiling at him. They were both hyperaware of the fact that their legs were brushing. Neither person moved their leg away.

…

They walked back home after that. Everyone was in a good mood, and they talked and joked loudly, earning them many angry looks from grouchy passerby. Halfway through their journey, their little group split divided. Jordan and Maia walked down the street, with Simon trailing behind them (and awkwardly third-wheeling). Jace, Izzy, and Clary continued on their way home. Jace walked in front of Izzy and Clary, who were talking about Mockingjay Part 2 and mourning the end of the Hunger Games. Izzy and Jace offered to walk Clary home, as it was already pretty dark, and Clary gladly accepted. They dropped Clary off, and Izzy turned and watched Jace's face as Clary entered her house.

"I wonder how long it'll take you," she muttered.

"How long it'll take me to do what?" he asked.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "How long it'll take you to realize your feelings."

Jace glanced at her. "For the last time, I don't have a crush on Clary."

"Suit yourself," Izzy replied, her pleated pleather skirt fluttering behind her as she walked away, leaving Jace to catch up.

Later that night, as Jace was doing his sit ups, he thought about Clary. _Do I actually like her? Is Izzy right? Or am I just surprised by her? She just isn't like Kaelie or Aline or any other girl I've met._

 _Maybe I do like her._

Jace shook his head and reprimanded himself. _Or maybe you're just not used to her yet! Don't go deciding that you like her, because you don't want to end up hurting her. Izzy will murder me if I break Clary's heart. Izzy needs more female friends, as it is._

Sighing, he got up and decided to go shower.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry guys. I know this chapter was kind of crap, and I know it's super late, but I've got a lot of schoolwork, so I didn't really have time to write this week.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next month, Simon and Izzy were very obviously into each other, although each one was oblivious to the other's feelings. This caused Clary to be uncertain about their feelings for each other (even though Maia was completely certain they were destined to be). Sure, the signs were there: Simon would always smile when Izzy entered a room, and Izzy always paid more attention to Simon than she would to other people. They would sit close to one another, as close as they could without actually touching each other. But they never said anything, so Clary doubted her eyes and kept her mouth shut. She would always notice little things and automatically dismiss them, until one week when both of them decided to say something.

Izzy was lying on Clary's bed. It had become a tradition to hang out on Fridays, and Clary liked that they had a tradition. That week, neither one was painting their nails (although someone usually did), so they were watching funny Vines when Izzy suddenly piped up.

"Do you think Simon likes me?" she asked.

Clary seemed mildly surprised. "Why are you asking?" Clary asked carefully.

Izzy fiddled with Clary's comforter. "I don't know. Forget about it."

"Hey." Izzy looked up, and Clary looked her friend in the eye. "Do you like him?"

"Maybe," Izzy said quietly.

Clary grinned at Izzy like a maniac. (She couldn't help herself.) "I can't believe you're finally admitting it," she squealed.

"You knew?" Izzy exclaimed.

"I suspected," Clary grinned. She clapped her hands together. "Are you going to tell him?"

Izzy's happy expression fell away and she looked uncertainly at her nails. "I don't think so."

Clary frowned, confused. "Why not?"

Izzy sighed. "I'm not really his type, am I? I'm nothing like you or Maia. I'm not a gamer or a nerd or whatever – and I say that in the most loving way possible," she said, casting a glance at Clary. "I don't think Simon's into me."

"Really? What makes you think that?"

Izzy played with her hair. "Well, whenever our legs 'accidentally' touch, or my hand gets closer to his, he always moves away."

Clary laughed. "Oh, I think you've misinterpreted Simon. He's very into you if that's happening."

"Or maybe he just doesn't like me," Izzy argued. She got off the bed gracefully and took a seat in Clary's chair. "I mean, I know I'm pretty hot, and he'd definitely be an idiot, but maybe he's just not into me."

Clary smiled knowingly and shook her head. "Izzy, he moves away because he doesn't know if you like him. He wants to be gentlemanly and chivalrous – although I keep telling him chivalry is sexist – and the only way he knows how to do that is to give you space and back off. Simon probably thinks that you're out of his league – which you kind of are," she added, "and doesn't want to make a fool of himself, so he's trying to hide his feelings." Clary looked into Izzy's eyes. "He likes you, but he's just not confident enough to admit it. Trust me, I know him better than any other organism on this planet." She sighed. "Just… when the time comes, don't play hard to get, okay?"

Izzy looked uncertainly at Clary, but smiled. "Fine. Show me another Vine."

…

Simon on the other hand, took a little bit of convincing. On Sunday, Clary was playing Mortal Kombat with him at his house, and after Simon had died for the fourth time, Clary decided to say something.  
"What's up, man? I know I'm better at this game, but you totally could've killed me just now."

Simon scratched his head. "I don't know. I've just been thinking about…" He stopped himself midsentence. "Nevermind, it's stupid."

Clary stared at him disbelievingly. "Dude, you've never kept a secret from me before. What is it? Spit it out."

Simon sighed and leaned back on the couch. "I've just been thinking about Izzy. Is that crazy? I mean, I'll never have a shot with her or anything."

Little did Simon know, Clary was panicking. _Do I tell him about Izzy? I mean, it would give him hope. But is that the right thing to do? Ugh, why did they both have to tell me; why didn't they tell Maia or someone who knows how to deal with relationship stuff?_ Simon interpreted her silence as agreement. "Yeah, I know. It was stupid to think about it," he mumbled.

"No! Not at all," Clary exclaimed. "I was just um… I was just thinking about it. I've never really thought much about you guys getting together," Clary explained hastily. Seeing Simon's crestfallen look, she quickly continued on. "That doesn't mean you guys can't get together though. I mean, I don't see why you wouldn't."

"Clary, it's okay you don't need to try and be nice. I know Izzy doesn't like me. I mean, why should she? She's beautiful and athletic and just as unbelievably amazing as the heroine from any comic or movie ever. I'm just a nerdy boy who apparently pines over girls who he never has a chance with." Simon chuckled joylessly and sighed. He put on a smile, but Clary knew he was still upset. "C'mon, let's play another round. I promise I'll beat you."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

…

On Monday, Clary decided to talk to Maia. Right before APUSH, Clary tapped Maia on the shoulder. "I need to talk to you."

Maia looked worried. "What's up?"

"Nothing, it's just that Izzy and Simon confessed their feelings. But instead of confessing their feelings to each other, like normal people, they both decided to tell me," she groaned.

Maia squealed. "Oh my gosh, that's major! Dude, they need to get together as soon as possible. They'll be so cute together. Should I start planning the wedding?"

Clary sighed. "I don't think they'll actually get together, though. I mean, Izzy doesn't think Simon likes her, and Simon thinks Izzy's out of his league."

Maia had a spark in her eye, which made Clary nervous. "I know what we can do." They formed their plan in hushed whispers as the rest of the class filed into the classroom.

…

After school, Maia practically dragged Clary to the art room. They knocked on the door, and Clary shyly called out to Mrs. Summers. "Hi Mrs. Summers."

Mrs. Summers, who was working on a painting, looked up. "Hey, Clary. What do you think this? Do you think this is the wrong shade of blue?"

Clary moved closer to the painting and examined it. It was a Van Gogh-esque painting of the New York City skyline. "No, I think it's perfectly fine. It's really good, although you might want to consider adding more white into the sky."

Maia cleared her throat, and Mrs. Summers finally realized that Clary didn't come alone, like she often did after school to work on projects. "Hello, Maia." Mrs. Summers looked at the two girls. "What can I do for you two?"

Clary looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "We were wondering if we could borrow your room tomorrow, during lunch."

Mrs. Summers raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

Clary looked uncomfortable. "Well, it's kind of a long story…"

…

The next day, the bell rung, dismissing them from 4th period (and letting them go to their beautiful lunches). Clary immediately turned to Simon and said, "We need to talk." She grabbed Simon's arm and dragged Simon off across the campus. Simon had no idea where Clary was taking him, so he followed Clary, confused.

"Where are you taking me?" Simon asked, when he realized they weren't heading to the cafeteria.

Clary just silently dragged him all the way to the art classroom and practically threw him inside. "We need to talk about Izzy," was all she said as they entered the classroom. Clary shut the door behind her.

Simon thought about Izzy, who was beautiful and confident and terrifying. He thought about Izzy, who had no reason to look at him at all. "What about Izzy?" he asked glumly.

"Why haven't you asked her out?"

Simon groaned. "Clary, you know why. I've told you already."

"Just because she's out of your league doesn't mean that you shouldn't go for it."

Simon sighed. "It's not just that, Clary. I mean, there's no reason for her to say yes, you know? There is literally no reason as to why she would want to talk to me, let alone go out with me. And that means that even if I ask, I'll just be rejected."

"Simon, you need to stop pitying yourself. Man up, and freaking _ask her_."

He rubbed his forehead and sat on one of the tables. "Clary, you don't understand. It's just… I definitely like her, but it's kind of like that Jane Austen quote, you know? Like the one that says 'if I loved you less maybe I could talk about it more' or whatever? Well, if I liked her less, then I'd be less afraid of rejection, and let's face it; she's going to reject me. I don't want her to think that I've only talked to her because I wanted to get with her, you know? I don't want to be that guy. Besides, why ask if you already know the answer?" He lay down on the table. "It'd be better if I just kept it to myself."

"Simon, you're an idiot." Simon's heart dropped into his stomach as soon as he heard the words. It came from a female voice, but it wasn't Clary who said the words. He sat up.

"Izzy…"

…

"Oh my gosh, Maia, let go of me!" 4th period had ended, and Maia (who was in the same English class as Izzy) immediately dragged Izzy out the door.

Maia suddenly stopped and lightly shoved Izzy into the art room. "Dude, what was that for?" Izzy exclaimed.

"Your own good," Maia replied. "C'mon, you need to get into the supply room." She pointed at the small, conjoined room.

Izzy crossed her arms defiantly. "Why?"

Maia rolled her eyes. "Just do it okay, and keep quiet. Simon will be here any second."

 _Simon?_ Izzy thought. "What the heck is going on?"

Maia glared at Izzy. "Just do it," she growled.

But Izzy wasn't one to be stared down. "Why should I? You're practically kidnapping me."

"You leave me no choice." Maia shoved Izzy into the supply room, got in herself, and carefully closed the door so that it was opened by a crack. "I'll pay you fifty bucks if you're quiet and if you're still pissed in twenty minutes."

Izzy sighed and shut up. Half a minute later, she heard the door to the larger art classroom open and close. "We need to talk about Izzy." It was Clary's voice, and Izzy pieced things together. _Is Simon there?_ Horrified, she was about to burst out of the door before Maia stepped in front of her and glared. _Stay the eff inside_ , her eyes seemed to say.

"What about Izzy?" Simon said, and Izzy's heart fell. He didn't sound like he wanted to talk about her, or think about her. There was so much sadness in his voice as he said her name, and she wondered what she had done, and wanted to know how to fix it.

"Why haven't you asked her out?" Clary asked. _No, Clary, don't push it. You'll ruin any chance that I have,_ Izzy panicked.

"Clary, you know why. I've told you already." Izzy was close to tears. _So he's not into me. Hmm. At least I know that for sure now._

"Just because she's out of your league doesn't mean that you shouldn't go for it." Izzy's sadness turned into anger. _Oh, was that your stupid excuse? Well, you can just go jump off a cliff, Simon Lewis. That's a crap excuse. You could have at least found a better one._

Simon took a deep breath. "It's not just that, Clary. I mean, there's no reason for her to say yes, you know? There is literally no reason as to why she would want to talk to me, let alone go out with me. And that means that even if I ask, I'll just be rejected." _Uh huh, that's a great excuse. It's not like I've been flirting with you for the past month,_ Izzy thought dryly.

"Simon, you need to stop pitying yourself. Man up, and freaking _ask her_ ," Clary growled. _Just give up already_ , Izzy thought. _Can't you see he doesn't like me? Don't waste your breath._

"Clary, you don't understand. It's just… I definitely like her, but it's kind of like that Jane Austen quote, you know? Like the one that says 'if I loved you less maybe I could talk about it more' or whatever? Well, if I liked her less, then I'd be less afraid of rejection, and let's face it; she's going to reject me. I don't want her to think that I've only talked to her because I wanted to get with her, you know? I don't want to be that guy." Izzy's eyes widened as she took in the new information. _Wait, what? Simon actually does like me? Oh gosh, he's the sweetest thing. I can't believe I doubted him. I take it all back._ "Besides, why ask if you already know the answer? It'd be better if I just kept it to myself."

Maia touched Izzy's shoulder and gestured towards the door, which Izzy took as permission to leave the small supply room. She entered the art classroom and saw Simon sprawled on a table. "Simon Lewis, you're an idiot."

He was clearly surprised to see her. He hastily sat up. "Izzy…" He seemed absolutely lost, and Izzy could see the panic in his eyes. There was only one logical thing to do.

She kissed him, right there in that empty classroom, ignoring Clary and Maia. To him, it was a bit out of the blue, but he tried his best to kiss her back. His mind was mush, and she was just happy that the boy she liked happened to like her back. They didn't break apart until Clary and Maia started squealing loudly and high fived each other. Izzy looked up and glared at them. "Do you mind? I'm kind of in the middle of something very important." But when Simon stood up next to her and put his arm around her waist, her glare melted into a smile.

"I guess I kind of have to thank you guys for setting me up with the girl of my dreams," he grinned. "Oh gosh, that was so cheesy." He looked apologetically at Izzy.

Her heart fluttered, and she clutched his shirt. "It's okay, I'll let it go if you kiss me again." She pulled him close to her once more.

Clary and Maia moved to stand awkwardly in the corner of the room together. "Should we give them some privacy?" Clary muttered to Maia, who looked extremely satisfied.

"If we give them their privacy, they might not be clothed by the time Mrs. Summers comes back," Maia whispered in reply.

"Well, I'm not going to interrupt them." Clary glanced nervously at the Simon and Izzy, who were still making out.

Maia glared at Clary. "Wimp," she muttered. Maia moved next to Simon and Izzy and cleared her throat. "Guys, you need to stop making out. There are ten minutes left of lunch, and Mrs. Summers is going to be coming in here any minute now."

The two of them finally broke away from each other. "I can't believe I skipped lunch," Simon said, amazed.

Izzy looked up at him uncertainly. "Was it worth it, though?"

"Of course it was." He pecked her on the lips, and glanced at his watch. "I need to run. I have APUSH next." It was Simon's turn to look uncertain. "Um… so… Will you call me tonight?" he blurted out. "Or anytime, really. It's fine if you can't, just –"

"Simon," Izzy interrupted. "Of course I will." She smiled up at him. "Go, before you're late." He smiled back at her, squeezed her hand, and ran out of the room.

Clary and Maia exchanged glances. "That went better than expected," Clary said.

Maia scoffed. "Please, that went as expected. Don't kid yourself."

Clary laughed. "Yeah, it did, didn't it?"

Izzy smiled at them. "Thanks guys, I guess." Her expression hardened. "Although, if you're going to do that again, at least tell me what you're doing.

"Sure thing," Clary grinned.

There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Summers walked into the room. "So, how did it go?"

"It went as expected," Maia smirked mischievously.

"Glad to hear that. Good to know that you're together with Simon, Izzy. I hope you two are happy together," Mrs. Summers said distractedly as she rummaged through her drawers.

"Oh. Um… Thanks?" Izzy seemed shocked. _You told Mrs. Summers?_ she mouthed to Clary.

 _Sorry,_ Clary mouthed back.

 _I'm going to murder you,_ Izzy glared at Clary. But she was in too good a mood to stay angry for long. Her glare turned into a smile. _Thanks._

* * *

 **A/N: Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.  
**

 **Thanks to all the people who left nice reviews! :) You guys made my day. And thanks to the person who left constructive criticism. I really appreciated it, and I tried to take your advice into consideration.**

 **Sorry for the lack of Jace this week. He'll be back in next week's chapter, I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

Jace got to school early. He was in a good mood today, and he hoped that it lasted. He hummed to himself as he walked down the halls, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of red hair.

His good mood disappeared.

 _Clary._

The girl turned out to be a random stranger, but it was enough for Jace to start thinking about Clary and the confusing emotions that she brought. Since last week, he'd realized that he liked her, but he wasn't sure when he'd started liking her. He wasn't sure why, either. She was beautiful, but there were other girls who were beautiful. She was smart, but there were other smart girls. Jace had charmed them all, and he'd eventually grown tired of them. He'd never experienced what Jordan had with Maia or even what Jonathan had with Kaelie. He'd experienced only the tediousness of a relationship, never understanding why people dated; there were so many things to remember: anniversaries, birthdays, holidays. But when Jace thought about Clary, he wanted to spend all of it with Clary; not just the special occasions, but all the tiring weekdays and long weekends, too. There was just something about her, something that made her so _Clary_ , and it drew him to her like a moth to a light. He'd never experienced anything like this before, and he didn't know how to deal with these new feelings. As a result, he was doing the most cowardly thing possible: he was avoiding her.

He sighed and continued on his way down the hall. It was almost as if his body was on autopilot while his mind was thinking about Clary: how she laughed, how she smiled, how he was happy when she was happy. How she didn't seem to notice him the way he noticed her.

With a jolt, he realized that his feet had brought him to the English classroom, five minutes before the bell was going to ring. For the past week, Jace had slipped into the classroom as late as he possibly could without getting late. He'd take his seat quietly just as Mrs. Smith got up and begun her lesson, just so he wouldn't have to make small talk with Clary. During lunch, he'd avoid her and talk with Jordan about soccer or squabble with Izzy. He knew that Clary was beginning to notice, and he knew that it was rude, but Jace didn't know what else to do. He was sure that if he talked to Clary, something would go wrong. He would say something or it'd be too awkward, or it would cause him too much pain to talk to her knowing that he shouldn't because he had feelings weren't just platonic. Even if he did ask Clary out and Clary said yes, he'd probably end up breaking things off with Clary, and that would make things too complicated. He couldn't do that to Izzy, who had finally found a group of friends after so many years of the plastic cheerleaders who didn't care about her. He couldn't do that to Clary, who was innocent but strong, beautiful and smart, and always happy and energetic, so light and carefree. It was safer to avoid her, instead of ruining a good friendship with silly emotions.

"Hey Jace." Startled, Jace turned around and saw Clary standing behind him. "Are you going to go in, or are you just going to stare at the door?"

Jace covered up his surprise with a smirk. "It's a very interesting door. We were having a very interesting telepathic conversation."

"Or maybe you're just high." Clary smiled up at Jace and elbowed past him, opening the door to the classroom. "You coming?"

This left Jace with no other options, so he followed her into the classroom. He hoped that she wouldn't pick up on his nervousness. He quietly sat down next to Clary, and glanced at the clock. _Five minutes_. _I can do this. Don't make small talk, don't make small talk, don't make small talk…_

"So," Clary started. "What's up? Are you okay?" She seemed concerned.

 _Crap._ "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm great," she beamed. "I finished my sketch of Clara Oswald, and it turned out beautifully." Her smile suddenly turned into a frown. "Although now it just makes me sad." She sighed and put her head in her hands.

"Are you alright?"

Clary looked over at Jace and smiled weakly. "I'm fine, it's just something really sad happened on one of my favorite TV shows…"

"What happened?"

Clary laughed lifelessly. "You don't really want to hear about what happened on _Doctor Who_ this week."

"No, no, it's fine. I'd – " Jace broke off suddenly, realizing that he was about to say _I'd love to hear you talk about it_ , which sounded really creepy _._ "I wouldn't mind listening if it'd make you feel better," he finished.

Clary didn't seem to notice the awkward wording. "It's just so sad. Like, I was okay when Clara died – I mean, I wasn't, and I cried, but at the end of the day I was fairly okay – but then Moffat goes and does something like this and my heart is just shattered because when Face the Raven happened, the Doctor could remember her and then there was the next episode, and Heaven Sent was perfectly fine – I mean, it wasn't, but it was fine compared to this – and now it's the end of the season and Clara's never coming back and it's just like Donna all over again except worse." Clary took a deep breath, and wiped the corners of her eyes, brushing away tears before they could fall. Jace, who wasn't a hugger, had a sudden urge to hug Clary and tell her that everything would be okay, even though he had no idea what she was talking about. "Sorry, I get kind of emotional about these things," she muttered, smiling apologetically.

"It's okay," Jace said, as convincingly as he could. "Things will get better."

Clary sighed. "I guess it will. I mean, we finally have a new sonic screwdriver, instead of the stupid sonic sunglasses, and I hope we get a Clara and Ashildr spinoff." She narrowed her eyes. "We _better_ get a spinoff, or else I'm going to murder Moffat." Jace laughed at her scowl, and Clary's cheeks flushed a bit as her expression grew less murderous and became shyer. "Thanks for not saying 'it's just a TV show.' You know, it's nice talking to you again. I almost thought you were avoiding me for a second."

Jace laughed, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "Why would I avoid you?" he asked, realizing that it was a legitimate question. _Why would I ever want to avoid Clary Fray?_ The late bell rung, and Mrs. Summers stood up to begin the day's lesson.

…

Towards the end of first period, Jace was still smiling (internally, because it'd be creepy if he were just smiling at nothing externally) from his conversation with Clary. Maybe he could spend time with Clary without anyone realizing his feelings for her. Maybe he was in control of his feelings enough, and he'd be able to keep them a secret until they died down. He glanced over at Clary, who was doodling all over her notebook, then pretended to glance at his watch when Clary looked up. _Ten minutes left of class_. That was good, since the temptation to move his foot closer to hers was becoming stronger and stronger.

Mrs. Summers' voice broke through Jace's reverie. "Your homework for next Monday," she said, pointing to her PowerPoint presentation, "is to write a group essay on…" Jace didn't really hear much after that. _Group essay?_ _I have to work on an essay with Clary?_ Jace started panicking. _Crap. This is not good. What if I say something or do something creepy? What if I embarrassed myself?_ Jace took a deep breath. _Calm down, Jace,_ he chided himself. _You're Jace Herondale. You've got the Herondale charm. You will be fine. The only way you'll embarrass yourself is if you keep on thinking like this._ He tuned back into what Mrs. Summers was saying at the front of the classroom.

"You have a lot of work to do, so I suggest that you spend the last ten minutes of class working out your schedules and writing a basic outline."

Jace turned to Clary. "So I guess we'll just work on this during Study Hall?"

"Yeah, probably. Do you think we can finish a five page essay during all of our Study Halls, though?"

Jace scratched his head. "Maybe."

"Why don't we meet up afterschool on Friday to finish whatever we haven't done by the end of the week?"

Jace sighed. "I have soccer practice."

Clary shrugged. "I'll just wait until you're done, then."

"Are you sure? You'll have to wait for two hours after school."

Clary grinned like an evil mastermind. "Great. I'll have time to murder Simon in the Hunger Games." Seeing Jace's confused look, she clarified her previous statement. "Minecraft Hunger Games. Not actual Hunger Games in an actual arena. Although I'd win that too," she added thoughtfully.

"Will your parents mind?"

"Nah, Friday's their anniversary. They're going to some fancy dinner. They'll be fine with it." Clary suddenly remembered something. "Do you still remember how to get to my house?"

"More or less."

She beamed. "Great. I'll see you on Friday, then."

 _Only if we don't finish the paper during Study Hall_ , Jace thought.

…

As it turned out, they didn't finish the paper during Study Hall. By Thursday, they'd only finished half of the paper. Most of their time in Study Hall was wasted when Clary and Jace would go off topic. Each Study Hall ended with Clary and Jace teasing each other, and the two parted ways in good moods. On Thursday night, Jace (who was once again staying over at the Lightwood's) finished doing his nightly workout and smiled as he went to go shower.

Izzy, who happened to be walking down the hall, was extremely surprised at Jace's expression. There weren't a lot of things in the world that made Jace smile so warmly. "Someone seems awfully happy," she commented.

Jace turned his face away to hide his smile. "It's none of your business," he muttered.

Izzy laughed. "It kind of is, you know. Clary's my friend, and you're pretty much my brother…" she trailed off.

"Who said this was about Clary?" he asked sharply, turning to look at her.

"Your smile," Izzy grinned. "You're wearing your Clary Smile."

"I don't have a Clary Smile."

Izzy laughed again. "Yes you do." She smiled like a Cheshire cat. "Have you accepted the fact that you're wildly in love with her yet?"

Jace turned around quickly to hide his slight blush. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said gruffly.

Izzy gasped and clapped her hands together excitedly. "OMFG, you have, haven't you!" she squealed.

"Nope," he glared at Izzy.

"Admit it Jace, you have. You've always been a crap liar."

"Fine," he growled.

Izzy started bouncing up and down. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. It's finally happening!" When she had calmed down a little bit, she had a crazed look in her eyes, and Jace briefly wondered if she was high. "Have you told her yet?" Izzy asked, smiling.

"Nope."

" _What?_ " Izzy screeched?

"Hey Iz, shut up! The whole neighborhood can hear you," Alec called from his room.

"Please give me _one. Reasonable. Reason,"_ Izzy hissed through clenched teeth, "as to why you haven't told Clary yet. And it better be 'I'm waiting to do something incredibly romantic.'"

"Because I can't." Jace glared at Izzy, deciding that the only beneficial thing for him to do was to get out of there as soon as possible. "And don't you dare meddle in my life, Isabelle. I mean it." With one last glare directed at Izzy, he shouldered past her and marched off towards the bathroom.

"But at this rate, you'll never get together! Do you know how oblivious Clary is?" Izzy called after him despairingly.

 _I do,_ Jace thought. _And for Clary's sake, I hope we never get together._

…

Izzy groaned as she flopped onto her bed. Despite out-of-control over-exaggerated fangirling, she really did want Jace to get together with Clary. It was the first time Jace had shown interest in another human being. With Izzy and Alec, he had always paid some attention, but with Clary… With Clary, it was he was dying of thirst and she was water. With Clary, he hung on to every single word that came out of her mouth and paid attention to everything she did. It was like he was sleepwalking all throughout his life, but Clary woke him up. Izzy could tell from the way Jace smiled and looked at her, and the way he'd walk around the house grinning to himself just made things more obvious. And even though Izzy hadn't known Clary for very long, she was pretty sure Clary wouldn't say no to a date. She just hoped that Jace's feelings were reciprocated, and that the two would just hurry up and get together. She wanted to see them happy, instead of angsty Jace and oblivious Clary.

She sighed and reached for her phone, planning to call Maia and update her on how Clary and Jace were doing. (Maia also desperately wanted Jace and Clary to get together. According to her, if Clary were going to go out with any guy, then it'd be Jace. She called them Clace, which Izzy grudgingly admitted had a ring to it.) She turned on her phone screen, and saw that Simon had texted her five minutes ago, which made her smile.

Si: _Hey Izzy. Is it cool if we reschedule Friday a little later? Sry, but Clary wants me to hang with her._

Izzy sighed.

Iz: _Sure. No probs. When?_

Thankfully, Simon replied quickly.

Si: _A few hours? I think Clary said two._

Iz: _Ur just gonna hang out for two hours?_

Si: _Yeah, Clary just wants me to hang with her while she's waiting for Jace. And she promised Minecraft…_

Iz: _You're ditching me for a video game?_

Si: _J_ _hehehe_

Iz: _=.=||| Why's she waiting for Jace tho?_

Si: _Idk I think they're working on their Eng project but Jace has practice or smth so she has to wait for him to finish up._

 _Oh really, now…_ Izzy thought. _Jace never told me any of this…_

Iz: _Hmm… Hey Si?_

Si: _Whuddup_

Iz: _Can I hang with Clary on Fri? I've just got some * girl stuff * I wanna talk about with her…_

Si: _Oh… um sure. Do you need me to get you anything?_

 _Mom was right, not only do periods get you_ _ **out**_ _of everything, they can get you anything you want._ Izzy laughed to herself and smiled as she read Simon's text message. _Awww…. Simon's so sweet!_

Iz: _Nah, I'm good. Thanks though_ _J_

Si: _Don't worry about it. Although… * sighs * Minecraft tho…._

Iz: _=.=|||_ _If you want, we can reschedule our movie date to Saturday. I'm sure we'd get to finish more Star Wars movies that way_.

Si: _Hmm… Guess you're right._

Iz: _Thanks Si. You won't regret it. 3_

Izzy switched apps and called Maia. When she finally picked up, Izzy squealed.

"Whoa. What happened?" Maia asked.

"So I was right. Jace told me that he actually does like Clary."

Maia squealed louder than Izzy had, and by the sound of it, Izzy thought that Maia had dropped her phone. After Maia had calmed down and picked up the phone, she breathed heavily for a few seconds, gasping out, "Does she know?"

"That's the thing. My brother's idiot best friend hasn't worked up the guts to confess to her, and he probably won't ever do it. We'll all die of old age before he says anything to her."

Maia groaned. "Why not? What the heck, man?"

"Don't ask me. But don't worry. They've got a study date on Friday. That's when they're going to work on their English essay, but Jace has soccer practice before…" Izzy trailed off.

"And?"

"Well, I happen to know that Jace's soccer practice will take two hours, and that Clary is expecting Simon to play video games with her until Jace is done. Now, since Simon is my boyfriend, he has agreed to let me hang out with Clary instead. That means that I have two hours – which is plenty of time – to prep Clary."

Maia laughed. "You are a freaking genius, Izzy."

"I know," Izzy replied nonchalantly. "I plan on giving her a makeover and forcing her into a cute dress."

"Oooh, Clary would look super hot. But she's not going to let you do that, Izzy. You can't just tell Clary to put on a dress. Here's what you should do…"

* * *

 **A/N: I know it's kind of an awkward place to end, but I realized that this would be wayyy too long if I uploaded it as one chapter, so I'm splitting it into two chapters!**

 **So since I have finals next week, I'll be uploading 2 chapters this week, and I won't upload anything next Monday/Tuesday.**

 **Thanks for all the good reviews! Review if you liked it, review if you hated it. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There are two Clary outfits in this story, and I'd just like to say that they're both outfits Kat Mcnamara has worn. (You know, the actress playing Clary in the upcoming _Shadowhunters_ TV Show?) **

**Anyways, the first outfit mentioned is from the 2015 MMVAs. The second outfit is from the Donate A Photo kickoff. (I'd link photos, but Fanfiction doesn't let you do that. :-/)  
**

 **I'll also mention what outfit Clary's wearing when it comes up.  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Clary peered into Jace's amber eyes worriedly. It was Friday, and the two were in Study Hall.

"I'm fine," Jace replied distractedly as he worked on their English essay.

"You seem a bit…" Clary paused, searching for the right word. "Hurried," she finished.

"I just want to be able to finish the essay today. We still have so much to write, and it's due in three days."

"Well, if we don't finish it today, then we can just work on it over the weekend," Clary suggested.

What she didn't realize was that Jace didn't want to spend extra time with Clary. Now that Izzy knew, being in the same room as Clary wasn't just awkward, it was potentially dangerous. Who knew what Izzy would do? Besides, he overheard Izzy telling Clary that she wanted to hang out afterschool today. It was safer for Jace (and Clary) if they spent less amount of time together. Jace sighed. "I know," he replied. "I'd just like to relax on the weekends. It's kind of been a stressful week," he lied.

Clary nodded, buying his excuses. "Sorry about that," she said. They worked in silence after that.

…

School had ended and Jace had rushed off to practice, leaving Clary alone in the library. _Well that was kind of weird_ , she thought. _Usually Jace is more lighthearted than that. I wonder what's been troubling him._ She shrugged and walked to her locker.

She couldn't find Izzy, who wasn't answering her phone, which was quite problematic. In the end, Clary decided to send a text to Izzy, telling her that she'd head back to her house first, and to call if she needed Clary to unlock the door. When she finally got home, she unlocked the door and heard music blasting out of her room. _That's odd. I don't have a stereo or anything…_ Clary looked around for an adequate weapon in case there was a robber and decided that her Mace would have to do. She got out her can and crept up the stairs to her room. _What kind of robber blasts music while they rob you?_ she wondered. _And why would they be listening to Halsey?_ The door to her room was opened, and Izzy was inside rummaging through Clary's closet.

"Oh my gosh, Izzy! You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you were a robber," Clary exclaimed.

Izzy glanced at Clary over her shoulder, and then continued to search through Clary's closet. "Why the heck would I be a robber? That's kind of why I turned up the music."

Clary shrugged. "I blame it on my mother. She raised me to be very paranoid." She cleared her throat. "So… how'd you get in?"

"Simon lent me his key." Izzy pulled out a dress. "This is kind of cute, I guess."

"Yeah, about that…" Clary paused. "What exactly are you doing with my clothes?"

Izzy paused, sighed, and sat down on Clary's bed. Clary took off her backpack and set it on the floor, moving to go sit on the bed next to Izzy. After a few seconds, Izzy finally gave an explanation: "One of my ex-boyfriends, Meliorn, is bothering me and trying to get back together. He doesn't believe me when I say I'm in a happy relationship, and he especially doesn't believe that I'm dating Simon, since he's seen Simon's Facebook page. It's nothing threatening or anything; I can totally handle it. But it's just so annoying and infuriating," Izzy sighed. "Whatever. C'est la vie, carpe diem, and all that other crap. I don't really want to talk about it, since it'll just bother me, so I was wondering if you'd let me give you a makeover?" Izzy looked at Clary hopefully. "Just to take my mind off of things."

Clary sighed. _I don't want to, but…_ "Yeah, sure. Why not?" she said with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

For the next hour or so, Izzy made Clary try on different combinations of dresses and shoes. At the end of the hour, Clary had tried on all of the dresses and skirts in her closet, most of which Izzy had squealed over. "You need to wear all of these more often." After Clary had tried on all of her own clothes, Izzy went over to a corner of the room and pulled out her own dresses for Clary to try on. Most of them fit a little awkwardly on Clary, since Izzy was taller and proportioned differently. Even so, there were two dresses that Izzy said looked amazing on Clary, and she ended up giving one of them to her. "It's a little too small on me," Izzy admitted. "But it was cute in the store, and I couldn't leave it behind." Izzy ended up forcing her into that dress (after making her try on five other outfits again) and got to work on her hair and makeup. Izzy played around with Clary's hair for a little bit, before settling on a variation of a French braid. Then came makeup, which was surprisingly brief. Izzy only applied some concealer, blush, eyeliner, mascara, and a light shade of lipstick, opting for a more natural look. Clary didn't see much of a difference, but Izzy argued that that was the _point_ of natural makeup; you were supposed to be able to see what the person looked like before, but use makeup to highlight and redefine their good traits (eyes, cheekbones) and cover up their bad ones (eye bags). After that, they argued about shoes for a long time. Clary wanted to wear her black spiky boots (which had heels that were about 4 inches) while Izzy wanted her to wear 6 inch black pumps (with platforms, but still). They argued until suddenly, the doorbell rang.

…

Jace stood outside in the cold air, waiting for someone to answer the door. He'd run here straight after soccer practice, not bothering to shower and only remembering to put on deodorant when he finished parking his car. He had rushed to Clary's front door and rang doorbell, only to wait outside for two minutes. When someone finally let him in, he realized that it wasn't Clary. It was Izzy. "Why the heck are you here?" he asked.

Izzy looked innocently up at Jace. "I'm just hanging out with my friend. Is that a crime?" She smiled and turned around. "Speaking of which, you have impeccable timing. Clary and I need you to settle an argument." As a door opened behind Izzy, she sighed. "What took you so long?"

Jace silently moved past Izzy and into the living room area. Since no one was going to invite him in, he might as well come inside by himself. It was much warmer in the living room. He turned to lock the door, and when he turned back around to face Clary, it was all he could do to keep his mouth closed.

She was dressed in a short black dress with a deep V-neck. It went past her chest and stopped at the end of her sternum. The top was cut like a tank top, but there was a hole in the back of the dress, which let Jace see the indentation of her spine. **(A/N: Outfit #1)** Her hair was tied behind her, and she didn't have a lot of makeup on her face. Jace didn't know why he was so affected by the outfit; the skirt wasn't even hugging Clary's body, it was flared. He'd seen other girls dressed in skintight dresses, but somehow, they didn't affect him as much as Clary did. Perhaps it was the fact that Clary was so unaffected by him. Or maybe it was because she didn't cling to him. Either way, in that moment, Jace thought for a fleeting second that maybe his feelings wouldn't pass. Maybe they were going to be there forever.

"So?" Clary asked. "Which shoe do you think is better?"

Jace cleared his head and took a look at Clary's shoes. "The heel looks better, but the boot is more Clary," he told her. Jace turned to Izzy. "Don't you have those heels with spikes?"

"No I – Oh wait. I totally do! Give me a second." And with that, Izzy ran upstairs.

"I didn't realize you were into shoes," Clary teased, taking a seat on the couch.

Jace joined her, laughing. "I don't. I just remember that particular pair."

"Why?" Clary's emerald eyes were questioning.

Jace grimaced. "One night, Izzy went out to go party with one of her boyfriends. She called me at 2 AM, asking me to pick her up. When I got there, she was very drunk, and she kicked me in the shins. Hard. I had bruises on my leg for a week, and I couldn't run properly at practice the next day."

"Ouch."

"Ouch indeed," Jace sighed.

Izzy's footsteps thundered as she came downstairs, holding a pair of heels. They were black pumps with spikes on the platform and ankle straps. When Clary put them on, Izzy clapped her hands and made her twirl. "I did such a good job," she said, as she examined Clary's outfit closely, giving a nod of approval. Izzy turned to Jace. "What do you think?"

"You look nice," Jace said to Clary, trying to keep his face devoid of emotion.

"Thanks," Clary replied, giving them another twirl. She put her hands on her hips and scowled at Izzy. "Can I take this off now? We need to start working."

Izzy pouted. "Fine. But I need to take a picture." Izzy stood up, got her phone, and made Clary pose until Jace cleared his throat and Clary reminded Izzy that she needed to work. Izzy sighed and let her go upstairs to change, letting herself out (and bringing her gigantic duffel bag with her. When did she get that?). As soon as Izzy left, Jace heard Clary groan. "IZZY!" she yelled. Jace peered out of the window and saw Izzy running away, laughing.

Jace climbed upstairs and knocked on Clary's door. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… Sort of," Clary sighed. "Just… wait outside, okay?"

"Sure. I'll be downstairs," Jace said, confused.

He sat on the couch, checking his phone.

"Hey, sorry for taking so long." Clary appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Jace looked up from his phone. His heart skipped a beat. She had changed into a black off shoulder top and a long, white skirt with coloured streaks, which was very different from her usual flannel and jeans. **(A/N: outfit #2)** Clary, who had confused Jace's surprise with confusion, sighed and sat down. "Izzy stole all of my normal clothes. I guess I'm stuck with this for now." She took her hair out of the braid that it was in and shook it out. Jace was suddenly hit by the scent of Clary's hair. She smelled of strawberries, lemons, and paint. Fiery tendrils framed her face and orange curls cascaded down her shoulders. Clary caught him staring. "What?"

"Your hair looks better down," he replied, his voice betraying him and hitching in the middle of his sentence.

"Thanks. I like it this way too." Clary grinned at him, and it was all Jace could do to keep himself from doing something. _Anything_. He grinned back at her, and she turned away. "We should probably get started. Izzy used up a lot of time when she was taking photos."

"Yeah." His voice was still a little gruff. _Curse my vocal chords. And curse Clary's outfits._

"How was soccer practice?" Clary asked.

This was a odd question for Clary to be asking, since she hated anything that had to do with sports. (Except for fictional sports.) "It was fine." Jace stared at Clary as if she were an alien. "Why'd you ask?"

Clary shrugged. "You seem kind of tense."

 _Crap._ "Oh. Um… It's just… I didn't expect Izzy to be here," Jace said, which was true, but wasn't what made him "tense".

"Oh. Family stuff?"

"Yeah. Kinda."

"So… Do you want to work down here, or do you want to come up to my room?" Clary asked awkwardly.

Jace laughed. He didn't know how to give people genuine compliments or how to handle a crush, but making innuendoes out of everything was his specialty. "Are you inviting me into your room with you and 'study'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Clary blushed. "Not like that. I meant to work. On our essay. Get your mind out of the gutter," she snapped.

"Sure, let's go to your room and work on our 'essay,'" Jace chuckled. He walked up the stairs and Clary groaned in frustration as she walked up behind him.

He got upstairs and peered into Clary's room, which was a complete mess. Clothes were strewn about everywhere and shoes lay haphazardly around the room. Jace shuddered.

Clary appeared behind Jace and saw his disgust. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You're kind of a neat freak, right?"

"So? Your room is still a mess. It's almost as messy as your life."

Clary rolled her eyes and started picking clothes up off the floor. "I actually keep my room reasonable clean. Izzy is the one who made this mess. She went through my entire closet, and then she went through half of hers." She sat on her bed and started folding the clothes. "Do you want to start working on the essay now? I'll dictate and you can type it while I clean up."

They finished another quarter of their essay like that, with Clary folding clothes and rearranging her room while Jace slouched in Clary's desk chair and transcribed their essay onto a shared document. When Clary finally finished cleaning her room, they finished their essay with Jace at Clary's desk and Clary sprawled on her bed, with occasional banter slipping into their conversation about Prospero and Miranda.

Getting work done wasn't easy (especially for Jace, who was constantly sneaking looks at Clary), but they finished their essay in an hour. When they'd finally finished, Clary rolled over on the bed. "Ugh. Finally." She held her hand out to Jace. "High five. We made it!"

Jace chucked softly as he high fived Clary. Glancing at his laptop's clock, he sighed. _7:24_. "I should go. It's getting kind of late."

Clary glanced at her own laptop screen. "Oh wow, it is. Do you want to eat dinner before you leave? I have Hot Pockets in the freezer."

Jace smiled at Clary as he packed his stuff. "No, it's okay. I've got Hot Pockets waiting for me in the Lightwood residence, anyways."

Clary sighed from the bed. "Well, I'll walk you to you the door if you help me up from the bed." She stuck her arm up straight in the air.

Jace took her warm, small hand and hoisted her up, but not before he realized how soft it was and how perfectly it fit in his own hand. She rearranged her skirt when she stood up, smoothing out the creases. Her hair looked a little wild, and Jace couldn't help but stare at her beauty for a few seconds before composing himself and painting a perfect grin onto his face. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yup." They walked down the stairs and Clary suddenly groaned. "I think Izzy took my sneakers, too."

Jace rolled his eyes. "So I'm guessing the only shoes you have left are heels?"

Clary nodded, sighing. "And I'll probably have to wear this to school on Monday." She groaned. "What do I do? I can't walk in heels."

Jace laughed. "It's a classic Isabelle Lightwood prank. I can't tell you how many times I've had to wear Alec's holey sweaters. She loves messing with people's wardrobes, especially when she wants something from you."

Clary furrowed her brow. "What does she want from me?"

Jace paused. "I don't know. Maybe she just did this for fun," he lied. _Or maybe she did it to get to me._ "You'll get your clothes back soon, though. I promise."

"I trust you," Clary said, smiling up at him. They reached the front door, and Clary unlocked the door. "Sadly, I can't walk you to your car, since I don't have appropriate footwear." The expression on her face was so falsely solemn, it was hard not to laugh.

"Thank you for your chivalry, but I must insist on being the chivalrous knight." Jace bowed.

Clary curtsied in return, laughing. "Then you are patriarchal and misogynistic. But I apologize for hurting your ego by being polite." She held the door open for Jace

Jace chuckled and stepped outside. He couldn't hold it in anymore; he had to say something. "I like your outfit. You look very pretty," he blurted out. "It suits you," he grinned sheepishly.

Clary looked mildly shocked. "Thanks. You look nice too, although you look a bit cold."

Jace looked down at his black T-shirt. "How on earth do I look cold when I'm smoking hot?" he joked.

"You're so full of yourself." She scowled up at him.

"Only ugly people think that modesty is an attractive trait," Jace replied, his gold eyes mischievous and his mouth curling into a smirk.

Clary sighed exasperatedly. "Goodbye, Jace."

"Goodbye, shortstuff."

"Shut it, lemonhead." And with that, she slammed the door in his face.

…

When Jace got home, Izzy was in the living room waiting for him. She was eating yogurt and watching _Sherlock_ on the couch, and she looked up when Jace entered. "How'd it go?"

"I told you not to freaking meddle," Jace snapped. "And give Clary her clothes back." With that, he marched upstairs to his room.

Izzy sighed and got up to get another yogurt. "I do something for my best friend and my brother's best friend, and I don't get a thank you? I must be a saint," she muttered. She pulled out her phone to text Maia, and saw that Clary had texted her:

Clare-bear: _Izzy, GIMMIE MY CLOTHES WTF_

Iz: _Soz, but you look so much cuter!_

Clare-bear: _C'mon Iz, I can't walk in heels you know that. Also is Jace okay?_

Iz: _Whaddya mean?_

Clare-bear: _Idek he just kept on spacing out and stuff…_

Iz: _Meh, he's probs fine._

Clare-bear: _U sure?_

Iz: _Yup, don't worry about it._

Izzy gave a triumphant squeal. So Jace _had_ been affected, after all. She quickly texted Maia.

Iz: _Jace is pissed at me, but I it went well_

Mai: _Oh really? What happened?_

Iz: _No idea, but I stole Clary's normal clothes so she was wearing something cute while they studied._ _J_

Mai: _OMG, you evil mastermind. * high five *_

Iz: _TY, I know I'm amazing. Anywho, Clary texted me and apparently Jace was "spacing out and stuff" ;) And now Clary's worried about Jace's well-being_ _J_ _Hoping that means she checks up on him on Monday_

Mai: _Honestly, your greatness scares me. Remind me never to get on your bad side._

Iz: _Just don't mess with the mother-effin queen bees._

Mai: _Amen, sister._

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been busy making study guides this week, so I finished this chapter later than I thought I would. I hope it was still an okay chapter, despite being a little rushed (and a little rough). If you have any advice for me, I'd love to hear it. (Even though I'd technically be reading it.)**

 **Thanks to everyone who left reviews :) I've really appreciated reading all of them, and they motivate me to write (although I'd still write if no one reviewed.)**

 **Just a reminder: there won't be a chapter next week, since I have finals.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Once again, Clary is wearing an outfit that Katherine Mcnamara has worn. This time, it's the Hollywood Christmas Parade outfit, so feel free to Google it if you're interested. :)**

* * *

Clary marched down the halls of Alicante High School, cursing her shoes for being _so freaking uncomfortable_ and cursing Izzy for stealing all of her regular clothes. Clary looked at the floor as she moved through the crowds, aware of all the people who turned to look at the small redheaded girl. A few guys even whistled at her. She felt like turning around and flipping them off, but she knew it would be faster to just get to class.

She finally sighed in relief when she got to the English classroom. _Finally_ , she thought. _Some peace and quiet_. She went to go sit down, smiling internally when she saw Jace sitting in his seat already. _I guess he really wasn't avoiding me_ , she mused. He flashed a grin at her as she sat down.

"Izzy still hasn't given you your clothes yet, has she?" he asked, looking at her outfit. Today she was wearing her pleather jacket over a plain black sweater and a red floral print miniskirt with tights and high-heeled boots.

"No, she hasn't," Clary sighed. "I haven't seen her all morning, even though I looked for her at her locker. I guess she's trying to avoid me." Jace seemed to be staring at Clary absentmindedly, so Clary cleared her throat. Jace looked away, blushing. _Was he staring at me?_ Clary wondered, her heart skipping a beat. She dismissed the thought immediately. _Why would Jace Herondale stare at me, of all people?_ "Do you know where she could be?"

"No idea. She ran away right after I parked," Jace explained. "You'll see her sooner or later, don't worry." He grinned at Clary. "Besides, I'll make sure you get your clothes back. I promised, didn't I?"

Clary smiled back at him. "I didn't think you'd remember."

He gasped, pretending to be offended. "How dare you! I'm a man of my word. I keep every promise I make."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure you do. I've been told you're a very honorable gentlemen."

Clary thought she saw a flash of hurt in Jace's eyes before he smiled seductively at her and raised his eyebrow. "I don't make promises I can't keep," he said huskily, sending chills down Clary's spine.

"So you're positive you can outsmart Izzy?" she challenged, changing the topic (and ignoring the way Jace's voice made her react). "Because if you are, then I don't know if you've ever actually met Izzy."

Jace's smile melted off of his face as his expression grew serious. "I'm sure I'll figure out a deal or something."

"You know, you really don't have to do anything…" Clary started. "I mean, it's just a silly prank between me and Izzy. I'll sort something out. You don't have to be so tense." She looked up at Jace worriedly.

"Who said I'm tense?" Jace asked defensively.

"Um, your entire body is on edge. I mean, literally every muscle in your body is tensed up right now." She reached over and prodded at the tendons in his shoulder, which made Jace tense up more. "See? You're tense," Clary declared awkwardly. _Does he not like it when people touch him or something?_

Jace seemed a little distracted, but he turned to Clary a second later and smirked. "You just can't keep your hands off of me, huh?"

Clary blushed. "That wasn't why I poked your shoulder. You're just super tense."

"Oh really?"

"I was trying to prove a point," Clary snapped. She changed the topic. "Anyways, when do you think I'll get my clothes back? I'm so ready to wear comfortable things and not have people whistling at me anymore."

Jace looked disturbed. "People are whistling at you?"

Clary sighed. "Yeah, just random people in the halls and stuff. It's not a big deal, really." She glanced at Jace, who seemed ready to tear someone apart.

"I'll make sure you get your clothes by the end of the day," Jace said curtly, his amber eyes becoming cold and hard. Clary had learned not to disturb Jace when he got like this, so she muttered a quiet thanks and started drawing in her notebook.

…

Clary finally had a chance to speak to Izzy at lunch.

When Clary finally got to their usual table, she saw Izzy and Simon holding hands under the lunch table. Izzy's head was rested on Simon's shoulder as Simon read a manga. Clary stood behind the two and cleared her throat loudly. Izzy slowly raised her head up from Simon's shoulder and turned to look at Clary. "What's up?" she asked.

"I want my clothes back," Clary said as she glared at Izzy.

"I can't get them for you _now_. We're in the middle of lunch."

"Where are they?" Clary demanded.

"Home. I'll get them for you later."

Clary groaned as she took the empty seat next to Izzy. "But then I'll have to wear another ridiculous outfit tomorrow!"

"Your outfits aren't ridiculous, they're ridiculously cute. And you are ridiculously cute in them."

"They're ridiculously uncomfortable."

"Beauty is pain."

"Just give me my clothes back," Clary sighed.

"Fine. But you have to come to this party with me." The entire table groaned. Izzy looked at everyone desperately. "C'mon, you guys! Magnus is hosting this Christmas party next Wednesday, and it's going to be so amazing."

"Isn't that a school day?" Clary asked.

Jace smirked. "Wow, how busy do you have to be to forget about break?" Clary blushed bright red.

Simon rolled his eyes and sighed. He turned to Izzy. "Isabelle, I know I'm your boyfriend, and I know I'm supposed to be supportive, but do I really have to go?"

Izzy glared at him. "Are you saying you don't want to go?"

"Of course not," Simon laughed nervously. "Why wouldn't I want to go? It's going to such an epic party."

Izzy smiled at him and turned her gaze to Maia and Jordan. "So, are you guys in?"

"Will there be free booze?" Maia asked.  
"Of course. Although Magnus might try to charge you," Izzy added as an afterthought. "But if he does, just tell him that you guys know me and he still owes me one from last time."

"I'm in," Maia shrugged. Jordan nodded in agreement.

"What happened last time?" Clary asked curiously.

"Oh, Magnus and Alec were having too much fun in a place they shouldn't have been in, if you catch my drift," Izzy said nonchalantly, winking at Clary.

Jace shuddered. "Seriously, those two need to keep it to themselves. I've been mentally scarred too many times to count."

Izzy rolled her eyes and turned to Clary. "So you're coming, right?"

Clary hesitated. "I don't really like parties, so…"

"I mean, it's totally your choice. But if you don't, then I might accidentally forget where I put all your clothes…" Izzy looked pointedly at Clary.

Clary stared at Izzy. "Seriously?"

Izzy sighed. "Yup. I'm that desperate. Please?"

Clary groaned. "Fine. But I want my clothes by the end of the day. Deal?"

"Deal," Izzy squealed.

Jace cleared his throat. "You're not going to ask me if I'm going to go?"

Izzy scoffed. "Of course you're going. It's a party, and you're Jace."

"You don't know that I'd want to go to this one. Maybe I'm getting tired of Magnus's parties."

Izzy laughed. "Oh really? Because I have this great video of you standing on a table screaming, 'I'm the king of the world' from the New Year's party last year–'"

Jace's face turned white. "No. Shut up. Don't even mention it."

"With evidence like that, why would I ever think you'd skip one of Magnus's parties?" Izzy giggled.

"That's it, I'm staying sober for this one," Jace grumbled.

"That'd be a first," Jordan remarked. Everyone laughed, and as Izzy plunged into planning shopping trips and pre-party prep, everyone started to zone out.

…

After lunch had ended, Clary had to walk to art with Izzy, who had started to plan Clary's outfit.

"Maybe you should wear something green. It'll be so festive, and you look so good in green. Or maybe that cute red dress that you have? But that doesn't really say 'party' to me, it's more of a 'formal event' dress, you know?"

"Why can't I just wear the black dress that you forced me into on Friday?" Clary interrupted. "I mean, it's a perfectly good outfit."

Izzy sighed. "You can't wear it because you've already worn it," she explained patiently.

"That makes no sense."

"People – as non-Izzy people – have already seen you in the outfit, so it'll be no fun if you just wear that," Izzy said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, you can't wear that to Magnus's party."

Clary wanted to bash her head against a locker. It was useless arguing against Izzy. "Why do I have to wear a dress or skirt? Why can't I just wear jeans or something?"

"Because you look so much cuter in dresses and skirts."

Clary groaned. "Is there anything I can do to convince you to let me wear pants?"

Izzy grinned. _Oh crap,_ Clary thought. _What did I just get myself into?_ "You have to babysit Jace."

This surprised Clary. "What do you mean?"

Izzy rubbed her forehead. "Jace always goes crazy at parties, and I'd rather not catch him stripping in the middle of the dance floor while wearing reindeer antlers again." Izzy winced at the memory. "C'mon, let's get to class."

They slipped into the art classroom. As they sat down in their regular seats, Clary asked, "So tell me more about Jace stripping while wearing reindeer antlers."

Izzy grimaced. "It was last Christmas, and Jace had a few too many shots. He was dancing with this girl – Julie? Anyways, she was flirting with him, and I guess he thought that taking his shirt off would impress her, so he started taking off his clothes, and Alec had to drag a very drunk Jace back to the car."

Clary laughed just as the bell rung. Izzy waited for the bell to finish ringing, then turned to Clary and asked, "Can I ask you a question? About relationships?"

"Oh. Um… Sure, but I'm not sure if I'm able to give an adequate answer..."

"Why not?"

"Oh… I just haven't had a lot of experience with dating…" Clary replied awkwardly.

"How many people have you dated?" Izzy asked curiously.

"Pretty much just Simon." Clary saw the flash of jealousy in Izzy's eyes. "But that's over now, and we're practically siblings, so you really don't need to worry about it. I mean, we definitely don't think about each other that way anymore. We're just friends. Seriously."

Izzy brushed it off. "I know. I'd murder Simon if he still had feelings for anyone except for me." She leaned in. "So if you've never dated anyone else, what's your type?"

Clary grinned. "Fictional boys and anime characters."

"But for real, who are you into? Like, nerdy guys, or athletic guys? Or are you into something else?"

Clary twirled her paintbrush around her fingers. "I don't know. Nerdy guys, I guess?"

Izzy raised an eyebrow. "So you'd rather date Simon than say, someone like Jace?"

"No, no, nothing like that. It'd be weird if I dated Simon again. It was weird when I dated him the first time," Clary said hurriedly.

"So you're saying you'd rather date Jace?" Izzy questioned.

"I mean, if the choices were just Jace and Simon, then yes, I'd rather date Jace. But if it were Jace and the rest of the world, then I'd think I'd rather look for someone else."

"Is Jace really that bad?" Izzy teased.

"No, but we just have don't have enough in common." Clary sighed. "He's a really nice person, and even I have to admit that he's really attractive, but he's not nerdy at all."

Izzy looked confused. "So… you're saying you'd date Jace if he were nerdier?"

"Not exactly." Clary said hesitantly, trying to search for the proper words. "It'd be nice if he was into video games, so I could kick his butt at Halo 3, but I'm totally with him not being a nerd." She fidgeted with her brush. "We're just too different. I'm into the arts and geeky stuff. He's into working out and athletic stuff. There's no middle ground for us to bond over. The hypothetical relationship wouldn't work out, you know?"

At this, Izzy smiled. "You don't know Jace as well as I do, Clary. Trust me, you guys have enough in common." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled at Clary. "Besides, I don't share a lot of similarities with Simon, but that's okay. Somehow, we work out, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

The bell rung, and Izzy left the classroom first, leaving Clary to think about what Izzy said and the strange conversation they had.

…

As Clary walked out into the parking lot, she saw Jace sitting on the hood of his car, waiting for her.

"Hey, Fray," he said, looking at her and smiling.

"Hello, Herondale," she replied. "Where were you?" Jace usually met up with Clary for their last period Study Hall, but he'd disappeared today, leaving Clary to wonder if he'd gotten sick or injured.

He rolled his eyes. "Izzy sent me on a wild goose chase to get your clothes back. I had to sneak out and drive all the way back home, and then I found this on Izzy's dresser."

Jace handed Clary a crumpled Sticky Note. On it, Izzy had written " _You should check your trunk more often, idiot. And hide your car keys better._ "

Clary looked up at him, amused. "So they were in the trunk the whole time?"

"Apparently. Izzy owes me gas money," Jace grumbled.

Clary giggled. "So where are my clothes?"

Jace got up off of the car and went around to the back and opened the trunk. Inside were two duffel bags, which Clary immediately unzipped and rummaged through. She pulled out her sneakers triumphantly and held onto Jace as she changed shoes. When she finally got her favorite pair of Converse back on, she sighed in relief.

"I forgot how short you actually are, shortcake," Jace teased.

Clary stuck her tongue out at him. "For the record, I'd rather be short than be tall due to uncomfortable footwear. I dare you to wear heels for an entire day." She lifted a duffel bag out of the trunk. _Dang it, these are way heavier than I expected. How am I going to get these home?_

"You know, I was going to offer to give you a ride home, but if you want to drag two duffel bags from here to your house, be my guest."

At this, Clary threw her arms around Jace. "Really? Thank goodness. Thank you so much. Honestly, I could kiss you right now." Realizing what she just said, she pulled away from him and wrinkled her nose. "Figuratively, of course. I'm not actually going to kiss you."

Jace chuckled. "That's probably the first time someone's said that to me without actually planning to kiss me, you know." He grinned at Clary. "Most girls would kill for the chance to make out with me."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Well, unfortunately for you, I'm not 'most girls'." She opened the door and slipped into the car.

Jace sighed. "Unfortunate for me indeed," he whispered before he got into the driver's seat.

The drive home was long and mainly consisted of Clary ranting about Izzy taking away her clothes and the idiotic pigs who whistled at her (which made Jace clutch the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white). After Jace dropped her off and helped her carry the duffel bags up to her room, she gave him another quick hug and Jace wondered if he should jokingly ask for a kiss.

What he didn't know was that Clary was fighting the urge to kiss him on the cheek, too.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! Finally finished with finals. :) I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry for not inserting as much fluff as I usually do. :(**

 **Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Kwanzaa/(insert other holiday)!**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	9. Chapter 9

There were only a few more hours before Magnus's party, and Isabelle had dragged Clary to her house. Izzy called Maia, who came over dressed in a gold-ish orange tank top and ripped jean shorts. When Maia arrived, Izzy was going through her closet while a very unhappy Clary sat on the bed. Izzy whipped around and smiled at Maia. "Maia, tell Clary that she looks drop dead gorgeous in skirts."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Maia, tell Izzy that I hate skirts because they're uncomfortable and it always feels like you've forgotten to wear pants."

"How long have you two been arguing about this?" Maia asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Clary sighed. "Two hours?"

"C'mon Clary, just wear a freaking skirt. It'll make our lives so much easier if we just stop arguing, since we all know I'm going to win anyways." Izzy's voice was muffled as she dug around in her closet (which happened to be a small walk-in closet).

Maia laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't bet on that. Clary can be pretty darn stubborn." She took a seat next to Clary on the bed.

"See Izzy? I told you," Clary declared triumphantly.

Izzy rolled her eyes as she emerged from her closet. "Fine, but just because Maia agrees with you doesn't mean I'll let you go to Magnus's party in pants."

Clary groaned. "Fine. I'll compromise and let you force me into shorts."

Izzy put her hands on her hips. "You can't wear _shorts_ to Magnus's party, either."

"Why not? They're more comfortable _and_ more practical," Clary pleaded.

"And they're better for dancing. More mobility," Maia added.

Izzy gave them a death glare. It was a glare that would have sent demons running in the opposite direction. "You'll be the only one wearing shorts."

"Maia's wearing shorts," Clary pointed out. "Besides, if I'm the only other girl wearing shorts, then it'll make me different. And if I'm different, then that should remind the random dude who 'likes me' that I'm different from all the other bimbos at the party. Besides, I'm not going to wear something I usually wouldn't wear just to impress some guy who apparently has a crush on me according to you."

Maia exchanged a look with Izzy. "Izzy, I think we should talk," Maia said hesitantly.

Izzy nodded and marched into her closet. She locked the door behind Maia and then opened a secret door, which led to a clean bedroom with blue walls. "It's Alec's bedroom," Izzy explained. "He only stays here for the holidays, since he moved into Magnus's place."

"So… you're dressing Clary up for Jace?"

"It's not like that, it's just… Clary's going to be there, and Jace is going to be there, and you know that their relationship isn't going to go anywhere if we don't do anything."

"I know, which is why I was totally on board with you giving her a makeover and stealing her clothes. But telling Clary that she has a secret admirer? Making her do something _for a guy?_ That's not who Clary is, and I think it's time for us to step back a bit and let Clary make her own decisions. And you know Clary wouldn't worry about whether some dude approved of her clothing choices or not. We can't have Jace fall for a girl that we made, instead of Clary."

Izzy rubbed her forehead. "But what if Jace doesn't fall for her? The only reason why I'm dressing Clary up is because I know that Jace will make a move if he finds her attractive. I don't want him to miss out on what he and Clary have, and Clary's not like the other girls. Like you said, she's not going to dress up for Jace. I've never seen him so happy."

"Izzy, don't you realize that you just contradicted yourself? Clary's not like other girls, yet Jace is still happy. I think he'll be happy even if she doesn't dress like the other girls that he's dated before. He's probably happy because she's Clary. Clary's not the type to wear dresses that hug her body or spend hours on her hair, so Jace will probably be happy with Clary the way she is." Maia finished her speech by giving Izzy a pointed look.

Izzy sighed. "You're right. But what if they don't get together? What if it takes them ten thousand years for one of them to make a move? What if Jace is just too much of a coward to do anything?"

"Well, I don't know how much you pay attention to Jace, but you of all people should know that he's smitten. Maybe he'll be too cowardly to make a move – after all, a lot of guys are scared of genuine emotions. But I don't think so. He'd have to be an idiot to just let Clary go. They're good for each other. Everything's going to be okay, but you need to stop worrying about them. They can handle themselves. Besides, it's not really your place to make sure that they get together or whatever."

Izzy took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm not going to worry anymore. They'll be fine. I know they will. I need to stop freaking meddling, like Jace said." She nodded to herself, and walked back through the secret door to her closet. Maia sighed, mildly regretting her words, hoped that nothing would go wrong as she stepped back into the walk-in closet.

…

Clary ended up wearing a pair of shorts that Izzy chose for her, and a dark blue off-shoulder sweater that Izzy also chose for her. Of course, this time around, Clary was allowed to reject outfits that were too crazy or uncomfortable, which was a power she exercised a lot before they stumbled on the sweater and shorts combo. Izzy also did Clary's hair and makeup, opting for a hair bun (with a hair stick, for some reason) and a simple smoky eye look.

After Izzy finished with Clary, Izzy forced Clary and Maia to sit and watch her try on outfit after outfit. Izzy finally decided on a white cropped halter-top with a white miniskirt. After Izzy finished doing her hair and makeup, Clary checked her phone and realized that they were already an hour late to Magnus's party. They rushed downstairs and found Jordan and Simon playing Mario Kart together.

"Where's Jace?" Izzy asked.

"In his room," Jordan replied as Simon raced past him and crossed the finish line once again. "Gosh dang it, why are you so good at this?"

"Practice makes perfect, Kyle." Simon smiled triumphantly and set his controller down. "You guys ready to go – whoa," Simon breathed as he took in Izzy's outfit. The adoring look in his eye was obvious to all, and it made Izzy grin as she walked towards him, exaggerating the sway of her hips. Maia sidled up to Jordan's side, and suddenly Clary was forgotten at the stairs.

"Hello? Guys? We're going to be late," Clary sighed. No one heard her (or if they did, they ignored her).

"You look beautiful," Clary heard Simon say.

"Beautiful wasn't what I was going for," Izzy replied, draping her arms over Simon's shoulders.

"You look –" Simon's voice cracked, "seriously sexy."

"There we go," Izzy giggled, pulling Simon towards her until there was no space between them. One of his hands was placed at the small of her back, while the other reached up to angle her face towards his. Clary averted her eyes quickly after that.

 _Ugh. Seriously, guys?_ Clary thought. _I hope this Magnus dude won't be pissed at us arriving late._ She tried a few more times to break the couples apart, but she eventually gave up and decided to go get Jace, as he looked far more intimidating than she did and would hopefully be more successful at prying the couples apart. "Lewis, I'm going to get Jace, and I don't think he'll be very happy with you sucking the face off of his best friend's kid sister," Clary called as she ran up the stairs.

When Clary arrived in front of Jace's door, she was a little breathless. The door was half closed, so when Clary peered through the crack, she saw Jace. Shirtless. Her lungs betrayed her as she gasped quietly, and Jace turned around. He grinned when he saw her. "How long have you been spying on me, Fray?"

Clary could feel her face turning red. "I haven't been spying on you," she snapped. "I was looking for you. It's time to leave."

Jace chuckled as he turned around and rummaged in his closet for a shirt to wear. _Holy abs. And look at those shoulder blades. I wonder how much he works out. Maybe it's just a soccer player thing?_ "I know I'm attractive, but you don't have to stare," he remarked.

This made Clary blush even harder. "I wasn't staring."

Jace grabbed a shirt and turned around. Seeing her face, he smirked and walked towards her like a lion approaching its prey. "I know you were staring. I could feel your eyes on my back. You don't need to deny it," he whispered huskily as he closed the distance between them.

Clary shuddered, but she took a step back and rolled her eyes at him. "How often does that work for you?"

She thought she detected hurt from his eyes, but he masked it quickly with amusement. "All the time, actually."

Clary snorted and turned to leave. "Hurry up and get dressed. We're late, and people are playing tonsil tennis downstairs." She ran down the stairs, trying to erase Jace's perfectly sculpted abs from her memory. It didn't help that Jace followed her a split second later. She could feel her entire body blushing, if that was possible.

…

By the time they were downstairs, everyone had calmed their raging hormones a little bit. Maia's tank top still looked a little wrinkled, and Clary could see the beginnings of a hickey on Izzy's neck (which caused Jace to glare at Simon). "Let's go," Izzy declared, walking out of the front door.

Jace was designated driver (Izzy's idea), and Simon had offered his band's minivan, so Jace grumbled as he got into the driver's seat. Simon and Izzy clamored into the seats furthest in the back, leaving Jordan and Maia sitting in the middle seats unhappily. This forced Clary to sit shotgun next to Jace, which wasn't exactly where she wanted to be at that moment. Whenever she looked at Jace, his rock-hard abs popped into her mind, making her blush faintly. As they started to drive, Clary turned the radio on to cover the sound of Jordan whispering in Maia's ear and Izzy's giggles. For some reason, _Style_ by Taylor Swift was playing, and Clary started humming along.

"You know, with all the couples in the car, it's almost as if you're trying to woo me with song," Jace joked.

Clary froze. _Don't think about his abs. Or his shoulder blades. Seriously, why are you so affected?_ "Izzy plays it too often. Besides, it's catchy."

Jace smirked. "I'm sure it is." Clary chose to ignore him, and they sat in awkward silence for the rest of the drive.

Izzy whooped when Jace pulled up to the sidewalk in front of Magnus's house. It was practically a mansion. The place had four floors and Christmas lights strung about all over the front of the house. When they got into the house, Izzy ran off to get drinks, dragging Simon with her and Jace stealthily following them, trying not to be seen by Izzy. Jordan and Maia disappeared to go dance somewhere, leaving Clary by herself. Since Clary didn't really want to be at the party, she decided to look around the house and find a place to sit. She wandered to the living room, where there was a couple making out on the couch. _Ew, no._ There was a beer pong game in the kitchen, and no place to sit, so Clary wandered upstairs. She didn't dare to open any of the doors in the hallway upstairs, where she could hear faint groans. Shuddering, she searched for a quiet bathroom where she could lock herself inside and check Instagram while waiting for the party to end. But all of the bathrooms were either occupied or had drunk girls crying inside. The third floor was a little better, although all the rooms still seemed to be occupied. Clary was searching for an unoccupied bathroom when she heard the faint sound of piano. She followed it, and eventually reached the fourth floor. There were two rooms: a large one that seemed to take up most of the space on the fourth floor, and a smaller one where the piano was coming from. The door was left slightly ajar, and Clary, curious, walked over to the door and pushed it open a little more. Inside, a boy sat with his back facing her, playing a beautiful melody passionately.

 _Jace?_

…

As soon as Jace step foot in Magnus's house, he craved a drink. He made his way to the bar, making sure not to be seen by Izzy. He waited for Izzy and Simon to leave the bar, then went up to the bartender. Magnus popped up next to him. "Hello, you annoying narcissist."

"Right back at you," Jace replied. He waved at the bartender, who seemed to be ignoring him.

"He's not going to get you anything," Magnus said. "I promised him an extra twenty bucks if you're still sober by the end of the night."

"Why'd you do that?" Jace asked.

"Because Izzy promised me fifty bucks if you're sober by the end of the night, _and_ if there are no broken hearted girls sobbing your name when you leave."

"Always the business man, aren't you?" Jace muttered darkly.

"Yes I am," Magnus replied silkily. "Now please find a place where you won't drink or break some poor girl's heart. If you don't mind, I need to find my boyfriend." With that, Magnus left Jace at the bar.

Jace groaned and felt like slamming his head into a wall. No drinking or heartbreak allowed. He knew that if Izzy found out – and Izzy always did – then he'd be a dead man. It was safer to not be seen in the actual party areas. Jace knew that the only three off-limits places were Magnus's bedroom, the basement (which was essentially a game room), and the attic, where Magnus stored all of his valuables with a password-protected door. There was also a music room, which was probably the best place to escape to, since a lot of people snuck downstairs to the game room and had sex on the billiards table when all the other bedrooms were occupied. Not a lot of people knew about the music room, but those who did never really went there, since the only place to sit or lie down were the piano bench and the floor. No one would be that desperate yet, and if Jace got there first, he'd probably be able to stay there without being disturbed the entire night. He climbed the stairs all the way to the top and slipped into the piano room, turning on the light as he went in. Perfect. There was no one there. He took a seat at the piano bench and stared at Magnus's grand piano. It was beautiful, and he hadn't played in a while. He lifted the fallboard (the part that covers the piano keys) and placed his hands on the keys. _I wonder if Magnus has sheet music._ He sighed. _Oh well, I'll just play something that I've memorized._ His hands searched for something that he remembered, and he started playing Debussy's "Clair de Lune". As he played, he started thinking of Clary. He'd been thinking about her all day, and as he heard her giggles from down the hall, he had wanted to go over and knock on Izzy's door, pretending to ask if they needed anything. But that would have been out of character, so as he did his pushups and sit-ups, he listened to the sound of Clary's laughter and wished that he could see the smile that went with the laughter. Then, when Clary had walked in on him after his shower, his heart had skipped a beat when he realized that she was looking at him. He didn't understand why she had such an effect on him, but he was starting to accept it. Her smiles always made him feel like smiling, and whenever she touched him, whether it was accidentally or on purpose, he would feel a weird sensation in the pit of his stomach. As he played, he imagined they could be: Clary smiling at him, him bringing her happiness, holding hands as they walked down the street, her head on his shoulder. If only life were different. Even when she looked at him earlier today, when he was getting dressed, she didn't look at him like he looked at her. She looked at him like she was surprised, like she didn't realize that he was someone attractive. And the way she looked at him afterwards? It was like she accepted the fact that he was attractive, but she wasn't affected by it at all. The way she looked at him was the way Izzy looked at him. He didn't have to ask her to know that she wasn't interested in him, at least not romantically. So he would be there for her like Simon was; he would be her friend and support her, because being next to Clary was better than not being with Clary at all. _Enough,_ Jace thought. _That's too depressing, and sounds far too angsty._ But as he played, he couldn't stop thinking about what they could have been, how they would have been two stupid teenagers in love, and what they could have had been together.

When he finished playing the last notes of the song, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. _Clary._ "That was… beautiful," she said, taking a seat beside him. He scooted over to give her more space.

"Is this our new thing? Instead of you running into me, now you're going to appear at the door whenever I'm alone?" Jace asked, smiling.

"I didn't mean to," Clary muttered.

"Oh c'mon, we both know you just can't stay away from me." Jace smirked at Clary, who rolled her eyes.

"I didn't know you could play piano," she said, after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Yeah, my mother saw my hands when I was little and she said that they were musician's fingers, so she signed me up for piano lessons before she passed away." He raised his hand up to let Clary see it. She placed her palm up against his, and Jace almost laughed at how small her hand looked next to his. (His heart also almost gave out when he realized that she was touching him for more than a split second.)

"My mother is an artist, and I loved to paint next to her as a child. She always puts on classical music while she paints. She says that she loves to make beautiful things, and it seemed fitting to make something beautiful with her oil paints while someone else made another beautiful thing with an instrument."

"I guess we have something in common, then," Jace smiled. "We're both makers of beautiful things." When she pulled her hand away from his, he felt the loss of heat immediately.

"I guess so," Clary sighed. "I'm an artist, but I'm not that great. I'm definitely not as great as my mother."

Jace shuffled on the bench, so that their knees were touching. She didn't pull away, but then again, she probably didn't notice. "No artist can truly appreciate their art," he said wisely.

Clary laughed. "Oh really?"

"Of course," Jace replied solemnly. "Art is in the eye of the beholder, and as the creator, you'll never be satisfied with how your art looks or sounds." Clary laughed again, and Jace smiled. "It's true, though," he said once she finished laughing. "I never hear the mistakes in music when other people play, unless it's super obvious. But whenever I play, I hear it when I'm a split second late. I feel it when I almost press the wrong key. I know when I didn't play something as loud as I should have or when I miss an accent. But you would never know. You think that the music is beautifully played and that I've done an amazing job, when I feel like I've failed."

Clary grinned. "Spoken like a true musician. I suppose you're right," she sighed.

"I know I am. I'm always right," Jace said, smirking. He looked over at Clary, who was rolling her eyes. Her hair was in a bun, but it was held up by one of those stick thingys. The bun was starting to get a little messy, and Clary looked better with her hair down, anyways. He reached over, not sure if he was really going to do this, and pulled the hair stick out. Clary's hair fell, framing her face and falling to her shoulders. Once again, Jace caught Clary's scent, the scent that would always make him feel like smiling: strawberries, lemons, and hint of paint. He thought he heard Clary gasp, but he realized that it had come from him. Weirdly enough, this was probably the favorite thing Jace had seen Clary in, even though she had worn prettier things. This outfit was simple, and there was something about it that was so… _Clary._ Instead of wearing a skirt or a dress, she was wearing shorts, and she didn't look girly or delicate, she looked untouchable. Strong. It was different, and it was Clary, and he liked it. (The fact that she was showing off her legs didn't hurt. They seemed surprisingly long, even though she was so short.)

"Why did you do that?" Clary asked, interrupting Jace's thoughts. He didn't realize he was starting to lean into Clary.

Jace shrugged and tried to keep his voice calm. "You look better with your hair down."

"Look who just became Tim Gunn," Clary said sarcastically.

"Who?"

"Tim Gunn. You know, the guy on _Project Runway_? 'Make it work'?" Clary looked at Jace disbelievingly when he shook his head. "You seriously don't know who Tim Gunn is? _Project Runway_ is like, Izzy's second favorite show."

Jace shrugged. "I know I'm hot enough to be a model, but I'd rather not prance around on a runway. Besides, I'm not really interested in clothes."

"You're far too arrogant," Clary sighed.

"I think you meant that I'm far too _attractive_."

"I mean what I say, and I say what I mean." Clary rolled her eyes, but her face soon morphed into something softer. "Although I guess that it's good for you to be confident. I don't know if I've ever seen you vulnerable or insecure." She looked at her lap, her hair draping around her face. "Me, on the other hand? So many insecurities. I'll never be a great artist, like my mom. I'm not pretty. I'm not smart. I'm not special in any way shape or form."

 _Oh, Clary. If only I told you how insecure you make me feel. If only I could tell you how special you are._ "I have my insecurities, too." Jace cleared his throat. "Although they're a little different. I wish that my dad were around more. And I know that it's selfish, because he's always on business trips and making money, but it would be nice if he was in town more. It would be nice if he paid more attention to what I do, if he congratulated me and cared a little more. But he's always off in Shanghai or London or who knows where, and it's for work, so I understand, but he's never around." Even though Jace thought he'd dealt with these issues, he still felt a stab of pain as the words left his mouth.

Clary laughed dryly. "Look at us with our first world problems. Perhaps we should just focus on the beautiful parts of life, and remember that broken people can make beautiful things." She rested her head on his shoulder, and he stiffened. She didn't notice. "Play something, won't you?"

"I can't play something if you don't move your head," he whispered, and when she lifted her head, he started playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."

They continued to talk after he finished playing, and Jace learned so much about Clary: that she and Simon had dated for three days, but there was no way she'd ever date him again, just like he'd never date Izzy. He learned that she was afraid of failure and the dark and that she had always wanted to be an artist, like her mother. He told her things that he'd only told Alec and Izzy: that he was afraid of ducks, that he had a pet bird and cried when it died, that he wanted to be a famous musician when he was little. As they sat there, on the piano bench, sharing hopes and dreams and fears, they learned about each other's souls. And after that night, Jace felt more comfortable around Clary than any other human being. With Clary, he could be who he wanted to be, the guy he had wished to be. And after that night, Clary started seeing Jace in a different light. She saw him not as the hot soccer player from Jon's high school team whom she had no chance with. She saw him instead as the broken boy with incredible dreams and terrible fears who was a maker of beautiful things.

…

Unfortunately, good things must always come to an end. Around 2 AM, Jordan texted him.

Jordan: _Hey man, we should go. Maia's really drunk. Where are you?_

Jace: _Upstairs_

"Jordan wants to leave," Jace announced.

Clary nodded understandingly. "Yeah, it's starting to get a little late, and Maia's probably wasted if the booze is free. Why don't you go bring them into the car, and I'll go find Simon and Izzy?"

Jace grimaced. "Okay. Good luck. You might want to check the basement."

Clary went all the way downstairs to the basement. After all, might as well start there. She opened the one door to find a giant game room with multiple doors. But all the other doors must have been locked, since Simon and Izzy were kissing very passionately on the billiards table. They were both shirtless, and Simon was in the process of taking his pants off. Clary screamed and shielded her eyes, which made Simon jump and put his pants back on. Clary turned around and yelled, "We're leaving in two minutes. Get dressed, or you'll be naked when I drag you two crapheads outside." She exited the game room and nearly collapsed against the door. _I so totally did not need to see that_ , she thought. _Ugh. I feel like taking a shower. Can I wash that from my memory? Are brain-showers a thing?_ She checked her phone and realized that Jace had texted her, saying that he'd gotten Maia and Jordan in the car. She tucked her phone back into her pocket and clenched her jaw. "Are you dressed?" she yelled through the door.

Simon and Izzy sheepishly walked out together. They didn't say anything, which was probably a smart idea, since Clary didn't know what she would have said. She glared at them before marching all the way to Simon's van, which Jace was leaning against. They got into minivan without saying anything to or looking at Clary. "Do I want to know?" Jace asked.

"I found them on the billiards table," was all Clary said before she climbed into the shotgun seat.

"Ah." Jace got into the driver's seat and started driving home.

Even though there was still music and Clary didn't talk to Jace much, something about the atmosphere was lighter. Instead of being an awkward silence, it was comfortable, which made Clary feel like grinning.

Maybe Jace Herondale wasn't so untouchable, after all. She had never really thought about it before, but now that she was starting to think about Jace, maybe they were more similar than she thought. Maybe, underneath all the layers, they were the same in all the ways that mattered.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, this took longer than expected. But on the bright side, it's also longer than expected. (Longest chapter I've written, in fact.)  
**

 **I was traveling this week, and also Christmas, which is why I didn't upload earlier. (That's kind of a crap excuse, I know. I'm sorry. I really should treat you guys better.)**

 **I know the plot's kind of slow, but don't worry. Clace will get together soon. Just be patient. :)**

 **How were the holidays for you guys? What did you do? What did you celebrate? Tell me in a review. ;)**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Just in case any of you are Whovians who haven't watched _The Husbands of River Song_ yet, there are spoilers for the episode in this chapter. And sorry to all the people who aren't Doctor Who fans. I hope this chapter won't be too boring. **

* * *

The next day, Clary called Simon to check up on him. "Why did you have to call? The phone kept on ringing and ringing," Simon groaned.

"Good morning. I'm doing fine. How are you?" Clary rolled her eyes. "Actually, it's the afternoon, and how hungover are you?"

He replied with a muffled groan.

"After I dragged your ungrateful, drunk self back to your apartment last night, I left some Advil and some water on your desk."

"Thanks, Fray. You're a lifesaver."

"You also need to get up and get dressed, because I'm heading over for our annual Christmas Eve Mario tournament, which I will win. Again."

Simon snorted. "Please, you only won last year because you cheated."

"You decided to keep your soda on the floor. How is it my fault if I _accidentally_ knocked it over?"

"You purposefully knocked it over because I scored more points than you. That's called sabotage, Clary. It makes you a cheater."

"Whatever. Innocent until proven guilty, and there's no way for you to prove anything. Get ready in 10 minutes. I'm almost there."

…

They took a break after they passed four levels, and Simon got them glasses of water. "So," Clary said between mouthfuls of popcorn, "are we still on for New Year's Eve?" Since eighth grade, Clary and Simon had celebrated New Year's together by rewatching the Doctor Who Christmas special and forming crazy fan theories, while watching different countries celebrate New Years before New York followed them into the new year.

"Of course we're on for New Year's," Simon replied, shooting Clary an odd look. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Clary thought about how Simon had cancelled their video game plans last week, and how Izzy had cancelled their usual Friday night hangout the week before that. "Oh, I don't know," Clary replied nonchalantly. "I thought you might want to spend it with Izzy. Which would be totally fine," she added hastily.

"About that," Simon started hesitantly. Clary felt a flash of annoyance pass through her – _Really, Simon?_ – before she turned to microwave another packet of popcorn. "I was wondering if Izzy could join us on New Year's Eve." Clary breathed a sigh of relief. Although it wouldn't be the same, it would definitely be better than Clary's backup plan, which was to rewatch the Christmas special by herself while eating too much junk food.

"I mean, I know I didn't ask you before, but I showed Izzy all the episodes in preparation for this, and –"

"Simon, it's totally okay. The more the merrier." She turned back around to face him.

"It's just, I don't want you to feel awkward or left out, since I know I've been cancelling things recently, and you're either not there or awkwardly there with Jace and –"

Clary cut him off. "Seriously, it's fine. Don't worry about it" She paused, processing his words. "Did you say you showed her _all_ of the episodes? Like, are we talking Classic Who here, or just the reboot?"

Simon looked uncomfortable. "Reboot."

"Yeah, well, duh. There's no way you could watch all of Classic Who and the reboot in just a few months. Still, 9 series in two months is pretty impressive, especially for someone like Izzy." Clary glanced at Simon. "She did watch all 9 series, right?"

Simon looked at his feet. "About that…"

"Simon Lewis, you did not tell your girlfriend to skip Nine."

"Actually, I told her to skip Nine and Ten."

Clary stared at him incredulously before her brain processed the words. "WHAT?" she screamed.

"I mean, she didn't skip all of Ten's episodes. Like, since the Christmas special is about River, I showed her _Silence at the Library_ and _Forest of the Dead_. I just figured it would be better if she knew who River was and what her past was. And I skipped over some of the filler episodes."

"I'm sorry, but you did what?" Clary's voice was deathly calm, and Simon shivered.

"It's just, I only had two months to show her the episodes, so I just chose the ones that were most important to the River Song arc… And Izzy gets bored easily, so I showed her the more interesting episodes…"

"So you're telling me that not only did you tell your girlfriend to _skip Nine_ , you also told her to _skip David freaking Tennant, the best Doctor, and the fandom's pride and joy? How are you able to live with yourself? You're such a – a fake Whovian!_ " Clary struggled to find the words to express her rage. Luckily for Simon, the microwave beeped, telling Clary that the popcorn was done. She grabbed the bowl and marched back in front of the TV. "C'mon. I feel like pulverizing you right now, and the only way I can do that legally is by playing you." Simon sighed as he followed.

…

A week later, they met up again at the Lightwood's house. When she rang the doorbell, she was greeted by a very festive Jace who was wearing silver 2016 glasses and a sparkly hat. "Hi. Do you want this? I think you do." He shoved the hat onto her hat and slapped the glasses into her hands.

"I assume Simon bought accessories again," Clary sighed. She glared at Jace. "I'll probably have glitter in my hair for the rest of the week, thanks to you shoving this stupid hat on my head."

"You're welcome," Jace replied, smirking down at her. He turned around and meandered back into the living room, leaving Clary to lock the door behind her as she came in. He sat down on the couch, reaching for the remote. "Simon and Izzy are in the kitchen preparing food for later."

Clary froze in her tracks. "Did you say… _Izzy's_ preparing food?"

"Well, she's only putting things in bowls. Simon's the one who's microwaving things, so I think we'll be fine."

Clary breathed a sigh of relief as she walked to the kitchen. "Hey guys," she greeted.

"Hey Clary," Izzy grinned at her. She was sitting on the counter with Simon. On her head was a sparkly star headband, while Simon wore a plastic fedora that said "Happy New Year!" Her head was rested on his shoulder, and they were holding hands. Simon was subconsciously tracing circles on her index finger. "We're waiting for the popcorn to pop."

"Cool. Anything I can do to help?"

"Nah, we're pretty much done here." Simon's sneaker lightly tapped Izzy's heeled boot as their legs dangled from the counter, as if to say _I'm here_. "Do you want to prep the episode?"

"Yeah, sure." She walked out of the kitchen and heard Izzy laugh as she left. _They really are a very cute couple,_ Clary thought. _It's good to know that they're happy._ As she wandered back to the living room, she saw that Jace had already prepped the episode. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Jace, who was looking out of the window, turned around, startled. He quickly regained his calm demeanor and replied, "I know. But there was nothing else to do."

Clary sighed. "Thanks anyways." She walked over and plopped onto the couch, lying down.

"If you lie down, where am I going to sit?" Jace asked, moving closer to the couches. Clary pointed at the comfortable loveseat next to the longer couch. "No way," Jace scoffed. "Izzy claimed that couch, and there's no way I'm fighting Izzy. Not today."

Clary groaned. "You'll just have to sit on the ground."

"In your dreams," he scoffed. "Move over." She sighed as she sat up and allowed Jace to sit down, but she immediately placed her head in his lap again. "What are you doing?"

"I'm too tired to sit up properly. Just let me lie down in your lap," she sighed as she handed him the hat.

"Late night drawing?" He placed the hat on his head

"It was just something that came into my head, and I had to draw it down before I forgot." Clary didn't see it, but Jace smiled against his own will. He liked that he could guess what Clary did now that he knew her better. It was nice that they were familiar with each other now.

"Hey guys!" Izzy called cheerily as she walked into the living room, carrying two bowls of popcorn. She disguised her surprise well, but Simon, who came in behind her, almost dropped a cup in surprise. Izzy shot him a look that clearly said, _Get yourself together, Lewis._

"I – I'll go get drinks," he stammered as he set the cups down and ran out of the room again.

Clary rolled her eyes. "So," Izzy started. "Are you still angry at Simon for whatever he did?"

This made Clary groan. "I'm positively furious at him, and I'll probably be equally pissed for the rest of my life. I'll never let him forget it. Like, what was he thinking? Rule number one of being a Whovian: Don't skip mothereffin Nine."

Simon came back with a water pitcher (for Izzy and Jace) and a 2-liter bottle of Coke. He sat down eagerly and reached for a bowl of popcorn. "Let's start."

Jace pressed the play button, and for the next hour, they were thrown into the wonderful adventures of the Doctor and River Song.

…

After the episode was over and the end theme was playing, Clary ended up sitting next to Jace sobbing her eyes out and clutching a box of Kleenex. "I can't," she got out between breaths. "Why would Moffat do this? How dare he? Right after Clara, too." Jace awkwardly patted her shoulder.

Simon had resorted to curling up in the fetus position, and Izzy, who had watched it for the first time, leaned on Simon. Her eyes were empty, and she had receded far into herself.

Jace was the only person in the room who was still sane. "So…" he started, but no one answered him.

He wasn't sure what to do, since Alec never cried or curled up in the fetal position, and Izzy never cried in front of him. Sometimes she would get a vacant look in her eyes, but usually distracting her would do the trick. He didn't know how to deal with Clary or Simon, though. The only crying girls he'd dealt with before were the girls that he broke up with, and he usually apologized before awkwardly leaving. Somehow, he didn't think that was an appropriate response. So he continued to pat Clary, hoping that he was being comforting instead of creepy or invasive.

Luckily for Jace, Izzy recovered quickly. "That was such a good episode, though."

"But River…" That was all Clary got out before she was reduced to a sobbing heap again.

"They got 24 years together, though," Izzy sighed. "It's better than nothing, even if it's the end. And we'll probably see River again. I mean, even though this is pretty much the end of her timestream, who knows what happened during the 24 years on Darillium. Maybe she'll be in a flashback or something. And if they make a Clara spinoff, which they better, then maybe River will meet Clara on one of her adventures."

"I guess," Clary sighed. Her sobs were becoming less frequent, and she wiped her face before leaning on Jace's shoulder. Jace awkwardly put his arm around her, not sure if that was the right thing to do. (But it was the only place he could comfortably put his arm without moving Clary, so he hoped she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.) "But still," Clary continued, oblivious to Jace's awkwardness and uncertainty, "I wish they would have had more River and Twelve. They're so great together. And a Clara cameo would have been nice. Heartbreaking, but nice. And do you really think Moffat's going to allow a spinoff? Like, he'll probably bring River back, and I want a spinoff as much as anyone else does. But I don't know if _Doctor Who_ can keep Jenna Coleman _and_ Maisie Williams, even if it's just for another season." Clary sighed. "I don't know. It's just very sad. There are too many endings, and not enough beginnings. And I can't imagine Twelve with another companion. He just belongs with Clara."

Simon finally piped up. "You said the same thing about Rose and Ten. And Amy and Eleven. And then Eleven and Clara. Don't worry. You'll be fine. You'll recover."

"Yeah, I know. But you know it'll hurt the first few episodes." She let out a shuddering breath and forced a smile onto her face. "C'mon. Let's play dreidel."

Since Simon was Jewish, they played dreidel each year as they watched New Year's celebrations from cities around the world. They watched a video after someone won each round. After an hour and a half, Izzy won and was slowly eating her prize (a pack of Starburst) and they had watched celebrations from Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, Beijing, and Moscow. As the winner, Izzy also got to choose what movie they would watch as they waited for New York to pass into 2016. She ended up choosing _New Year's Eve_ (that crappy _Love Actually_ wannabe film with all the celebrities). When Izzy announced this, Jace (who had been forced to watch the movie a dozen times) immediately responded by saying "Nope" and escaping to his room. Once he was there, though, the quiet was unbearable. He debated on whether or not to go to the basement, where the Lightwoods had a small upright piano. But he knew that if he started playing the piano, Izzy would yell at him for being too loud and disrupting the movie. So instead he was forced to stay in his room with nothing to do.

Like usual, his thoughts floated to Clary. Usually, he'd start working out to try and take his mind off of things, but he had recently injured his hand goalkeeping for Alec when they practiced at the park. So he had no choice but to lie on his bed and stare at his ceiling while thinking about Clary. Images passed through his mind: her firey ginger hair, her bright green eyes, her smile. He remembered again what Jordan had said at Magnus's Christmas party: "I know it's awkward for you to be left alone with Clary." But it wasn't. Somehow, their odd friendship was so comfortable to Jace. He was as comfortable with Clary as he was with Izzy and Alec, even though he'd only known her for a few months, not even half a year. It was odd and unexpected, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Of course, he had no way of knowing if Clary also felt the same about him. Probably not, since he was nothing like Simon. While they watched the Christmas special, Jace had looked at Clary and Simon enviously, wishing that he knew Clary as well as Simon did. He knew that Clary would never date Simon and that Simon would never look at anyone other than Izzy. Furthermore, Clary _was_ in _his lap_ , after all, but some part of him couldn't help but be envious of the nerd.

Sighing, he reached for his phone, hoping for some sort of distraction. When he unlocked it, however, a picture of Clary that Izzy had posted on Facebook greeted him. She was reading a book with her hair held up by a pencil. Izzy captioned it _Such an uncooperative human being…_ Jace couldn't help but scroll through Izzy's timeline. The next photo was a selfie that Izzy took with Maia and Clary. Of course, the only person Jace paid attention to was Clary. She smiled so brightly, and it made Jace's face to melt into a smile, too. He continued on scrolling through Izzy's feed – pictures of Clary smiling, making faces, reading, in outfits that took Jace's breath away. He lost track of time, but sooner or later he heard someone knock on his door. He groaned as he got up, and opened his bedroom door to find Clary. He hastily locked his phone and tucked it into his pocket before she could get a glimpse of the screen. "What's up?"

Clary stormed into his room. "I sat through twenty-five minutes of that terrible movie before I came up here. I exercised so much self-control. You don't even know." Jace chuckled. He, too, had sat through the movie just for Izzy. (Mostly because Izzy would have bitten off his head if he didn't watch.) Clary sighed and went on ranting. "Like, there's no actual plot! They just work on showing as many celebrities as they can, so they can make a mediocre trailer and have people watch it for the famous faces that they like." She took a deep breath and took a seat on Jace's desk chair. "Nevermind. What were you doing?"

"Nothing," Jace replied, tried his best not to blush or show any signs of embarrassment. He must have failed, because Clary gave him a very confused look. She dismissed it, letting him escape the awkward topic.

"Anyways, I thought you'd be in the music room. Isn't that where you go to escape awkward situations?" she teased.

Jace chuckled as he sat on his bed. "I actually would have gone to the music room, except Izzy probably would have murdered me for ruining her movie."

She grinned at him, but it quickly faded away from her face and her expression grew serious. "I actually wanted to talk about something with you. It's kind of weird, and it's just something Simon said, but it's kind of been lodged in my brain ever since. I'm not too sure if I should talk about it, since it might make things awkward, but I don't know who else to talk to, so…" She breathed in. "Anyways, it's just that… Well, Simon said that he felt bad for leaving me out, which I understand. He has this new relationship, and I'm not part of it, and that's okay, it's good. But I know Simon. From his perspective, it's like he's leaving me behind whenever he goes on a date with Izzy. And I can see how happy he is with Izzy, but I don't want him to say something or do something stupid just because he feels like he's leaving his best friend behind." Clary sighed. "I don't know. Sorry. It's my problem, you don't have to worry about it or anything, but it feels nice to let it out." She smiled up at him, but she didn't notice the way his breath hitched.

Jace cleared his throat. "Actually, you know, it's really funny. Jordan actually said something like that last week at Magnus's party."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He apologized for always leaving me to make awkward conversation with you," Jace grinned. Clary did respond to his grin, so Jace hastily continued. "Don't worry. I don't find it awkward or anything."

Clary flashed a smile at him. "That's good then." But her expression quickly turned somber again. "I sometimes feel like it would just be easier for our friends if we dated each other. Then we could all go on triple dates and they wouldn't feel bad about leaving us together." She sighed, laughing mirthlessly. "Don't worry, it's just a stupid idea."

"Do you want to?" Jace blurted out. Clary looked surprised. _Crap. Why did you do that? This is how she's going to tell you that she doesn't like you that way at all. You've made it awkward now, you idiot. Now you've scared her away. Why did you have to do that?_ "I mean, I'm not asking you out or anything. But more like do you want to fake-date each other? So they won't worry?" Jace winced internally. _That's such an idiot thing. What the heck, Herondale?_ "After all, I know you really care about Simon, and if you think he's going to do something stupid, wouldn't this tell him that you're okay and that he's not leaving his best friend behind?" Jace sighed. _Why am I such a bad liar? What is that bullcrap? Max wouldn't have even bought that._ He crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that Clary wouldn't think he was insane and never talk to him again.

Miraculously, Clary seemed to be considering the "fake-dating". "I mean, I guess…" she started hesitantly. "But wouldn't it be kind of… complicated to fool everyone?"

 _Wait. Is she actually saying yes to this? Am I actually going to kind of be the boyfriend of Clary Fray?_ "Well, it wouldn't be that hard. We could just tell Izzy that we've been texting each other since Magnus's party and that we liked each other. And you came up here, which makes it a lot easier. If you want to do it," Jace said, glancing at Clary to make sure he was understanding her correctly, "then we could just say that I couldn't stop myself from kissing you, and you kissed me back. We then talked and decided to start dating because we couldn't deny our feelings for each other anymore."

"But do you think they'll really believe us? Especially if we don't really show affection in public?"

Jace thought about it for a second. "Izzy loves romantic bull, so she'll buy it immediately. You see what you want to see and all that. If Izzy believes it, Simon will believe it, and isn't that what matters? Besides, I don't think they'll get suspicious if we hold hands in public. We might have to snuggle once in a while, or go on the occasional fake date, but we don't have to swap spit or whatever if you're not comfortable with that." Jace's concerned, caring tone quickly turned arrogant and pompous. "Although I don't know why you wouldn't want to make out with me. Many girls would –"

"Kill to trade places with me, I know." Clary interrupted, sighing. "So… Do you want to do this crazy stupid thing?" She looked inquisitively at him.

"Only if you want to." He could help but to smile at her, and luckily she returned it. They sat there smiling at each other for a few seconds longer than they should have, and they spent the rest of the hour working out the details of their fake relationship.

Even though Jace was relieved that Clary didn't think that he was a psychopath, his heart still fell through his stomach whenever he thought about the fact that Clary didn't really want to date him. But plastered a smile onto his face, because there was nothing he could do about the situation.

After all, pretending to date the girl of your dreams was better than nothing at all, right?

…

Twenty minutes before midnight, Clary and Jace walked downstairs to find Izzy and Simon kissing very passionately. Jace, who had experience with finding Izzy making out with random boys, got a handful of Sour Patch Kids and threw them at the couple. He sat down on the couch, and Clary once again lay down in Jace's lap. "It's 11:40, you guys." Simon wordlessly switched to CNN, while Izzy rearranged her crooked headband while fishing for all the Sour Patch Kids now in the couch. The four sat there in front of the television, watching performers and judging their outfits.

Finally, it was 11:59. Clary sat up and put on the ridiculous 2016 glasses, Jace wore the sparkly hat, and Simon tried to save the crushed "Happy New Year!" fedora. As the ball started to move, they chanted "10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1! Happy New Year!" Simon whooped before Izzy pulled him close to her and kissed him. Jace and Clary smiled at each other, and Clary pecked Jace on the cheek. Jace, being the fine gentleman that he was, lifted Clary's hand to his lips. Clary rolled her eyes, but as Simon and Izzy kept on kissing, Clary and Jace did their best to ignore them as they watched everyone in Times Square celebrate the New Year while they sat down on the couch with their hands clasped together and their legs pressed together.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! Finally kind of got to a Clace relationship. Sorry for taking so long to upload; my teachers all gave me a ton of homework the first few days back from break, and I was too jet lagged to write anything semi-decent. Hopefully this is passable.  
**

 **Thanks to all of you who left reviews. I enjoyed reading about your holidays, and I'm happy to hear (read?) that they were all wonderful. Hope you guys all had a very Happy New Year! Again, sorry for not uploading sooner. :(**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	11. Chapter 11

School had started again, and that meant that Clary and Jace had to find a way to tell everyone else about them. They decided to wait a little bit before straight up telling everyone. Until then, they were going to act like a couple, just to test out how everyone would respond to them.

On Monday, they met in the English classroom. Jace smirked at her, a look that would have made any other girl weak in the knees. Clary rolled her eyes at him, but smiled at him anyways. She sat in the seat next to him, and he got up and sat on her desk. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked in a low murmur, his eyes showing his concern.

"Might as well," she sighed, keeping the smile plastered onto her face. "Now get off my desk, idiot."

Jace chuckled as he slid off of her desk. He ruffled her hair before taking a seat, which made Clary glare at him murderously. The bell rang as she fixed her hair.

…

By the time lunch rolled around, Clary was starving. She plopped down at their regular table, and dove for her lunch (leftovers from last night and an apple). Maia, Izzy and Simon were all already seated, and Jordan sat down a few moments after Clary. She briefly wondered where Jace was before he whispered in her ear. "Miss me?"

Clary almost screamed. "Holy – you know, you really shouldn't approach a Sherlockian and say 'Miss me?' That's like drawing tally marks on a Whovian when they're sleeping," she hissed at him, too quiet for the others to hear.

He laughed and sat down next to Clary. He was so close she could feel the heat radiating off of him. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he mumbled into her ear. She rolled her eyes and continued to eat her leftovers before Jace sighed and started eating his own lunch. "You know, no one's going to believe us if you act so unaffected by my charms."

Clary rolled her eyes and faced him, leaning in so close that she could see the darker flecks in his eyes. "But if we start making out, it won't make sense if we're going to tell them that we're hiding our relationship," she breathed. From here, she could smell his scent; he smelled like sunshine, citrus, and sweat. She thought his pupils were dilating, but it might be her mind fooling her. They were close enough that if one of them leaned in any further, their lips would meet and–

Clary forced herself to pull away, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. (What she didn't notice was the flash of disappointment in Jace's eyes or the fact that he'd started leaning in just as she pulled herself away.) _What happened? Was it like this before?_ Luckily, no one noticed how close the two were to kissing, or if they did, they didn't say anything, giving Clary a chance to try and calm down. She sat next to Jace (a little closer than she would have on any other day, although it was weirdly comforting to know that he was seated right next to her,) and waited for the others to finish greeting their significant others. Once everyone had calmed down and started trading stories about boring teachers or horrifically ignorant students, Clary quietly finished her lunch, trying to distract herself from how Jace had made her feel.

…

The week had gone by as planned, and Clary had done her best to forget about that day at lunch with Jace. She'd begun to look forward to talking with Jace or sitting with him at lunch or study hall. Most of their encounters were purely friendly, even if they may have looked romantic to the innocent bystander. (If she was going to be honest with herself, she wished some of the moments were more romantic than they actually were.)

But the easy part had already happened, and it was time for the tricky bit. Simon was planning on having a _Harry Potter_ marathon tomorrow on Saturday, and Clary was supposed to cancel it to go on a "date" with Jace. She felt bad about cancelling, but that probably meant that Simon would go do something with Izzy, which he probably wouldn't mind. She stared at her cell phone and sighed. Nevertheless, this meant that she had to go through with the entire plan, and it made her feel kind of stupid. After all, who _pretends_ to go out with people? But she was if she didn't do this, she knew that she'd start to tear Simon and Izzy apart, which was one of the reasons as to why Simon and Maia broke up. She didn't think she could handle the guilt if she was a reason as to why Simon and Izzy broke up, since they were so clearly meant to be. Desperate times called for desperate measures, after all.

She picked up her phone and dialed Simon's cell. He picked up on the third ring. "What's up," he asked cheerily.

"The sky."

Simon snorted. "Anything else?"

"Actually, do we have a thing tomorrow?"

"Um… yeah. We were going to have a _Harry Potter_ marathon. Remember, Fray?"

"Ugh, I can't believe I forgot!" She sighed. "It's just, I totally forgot that we were going to do that, and I kind of made plans." Clary held her breath, hoping that Simon would buy her lie.

"Oh. Um… Okay. What're you doing?" Simon asked curiously.

"Just… hanging out with a friend."

"You're ditching _Harry Potter_ for Maia?"

"No… Not Maia."

"Jordan?"

"Not Jordan."

"Who are you hanging out with, then? Who's important enough for you to bail on HP Day?"

"Simon… Just let it go."

"Fine. How about next week?"

"Perfect."

Clary hung up, hoping that it was enough for Simon to start putting the pieces together.

…

As Clary had hoped, Simon called Izzy after Clary hung up. "I just had this really confusing conversation with Clary," he declared.

"Really?" Izzy said, half listening as she packed her track uniform into her duffel bag.

"Yeah. She bailed on _Harry Potter_ day. We were supposed to watch all the movies tomorrow and have a giant marathon, but she said she had to hang out with a 'friend'."

"Really? But I don't have plans with her, and Maia's going to go rewatch Star Wars with Jordan."

"That's the weird thing. She wouldn't tell me who she's hanging out with. And she loves _Harry Potter_ ; she wouldn't cancel for a casual friend."

"Do you think she's angry at us?"

"If Clary's angry at you, you'd know. One time she punched this guy in the gut because he kept pulling on her hair. Another time, she invited everyone to a party at some random dude's house because she knew his parents were super strict and he'd been leaving creepy notes in Maia's locker. He ended up being grounded for a year."

Izzy whistled. "I'm so proud of Clary. You go, girl. But if she's not pissed at us, why would she do that?"

"I don't know," Simon sighed. "I don't think any of her relatives are sick either. And if they were, she would've just told me about it. I can't think of any reason as to why she'd ditch and not tell me, unless she's secretly a superhero who has to go kill demons in her spare time."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Simon, you watch too much TV. But it is weird. I mean, I don't know her as well as you do, but it sounds like she's hiding something. It must be pretty serious if she's hiding it from you."

"I don't know. I'll call you if I learn anything."

…

Simon puzzled over Clary's strange behavior, but he didn't get any answers until the next day, when Izzy called him. "Simon, I think I know why Clary was being so secretive."

"Why?"

"I think Clary might have a boyfriend. And I think her boyfriend might be Jace."

Simon laughed, but abruptly stopped when he realized that Izzy wasn't joking. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, I saw Jace creeping out of the house today and I asked him where he was going because usually when he goes off it's to meet up with Alec or to meet a girl. Alec's staying with his boyfriend this weekend, and I don't think Jace is dating anyone. He also wouldn't tell me where he was going, which is kind of out of character for him, since he never lies, so it made me start thinking about Clary's secretiveness. And suddenly, I thought about it, you know? I mean, Jace is the only other person in our friend group, and he's the only other single person, and it makes sense." Izzy said breathlessly.

"No, it doesn't make sense. Clary isn't into guys like Jace. She's into skinny nerds."

"Like you?"

"No, like Rory Williams and the Tenth Doctor. It seems… weird. I mean, they haven't even showed signs of liking each other. At all."

Izzy giggled. "Oh, Simon. They totally have. You've just been too blind to see it."

Simon was confused, but he went with it. "Even if they like each other, I don't think they're dating."

"There's only one way to prove this. Is Clary still home?"

"I don't know. Am I supposed to call her?"

"Dude. Just look out your window and see if her light's on."

"Oh. Right." He peered out of his window and looked for Clary's bedroom. Sure enough, the light was on. "She's home," he reported.

He heard Isabelle sigh. "Honestly, you're lucky you're cute."

"Hey–"

Izzy cut him off. "All you have to do is look out your window and see if Jace – or some other random dude – walks up to her house."

"Fine," Simon grumbled. "Although I don't like how much spying I'm doing today." He peered out of his window again, just in time to see a tall, blond figure walking down the street. "I think I see Jace."

"Really? What's he wearing?"

"Um… A black jacket and jeans."

"That's him," Izzy squealed. "I told you they were dating."

Simon was left speechless. "I… Uh… What the… But… I mean, Clary's never showed any signs of being interested in anyone like Jace… He's not her usual type…"

"Simon, it happens. I mean, I never would have thought that I'd date an adorable nerd, but look at me now. And I'm as happy as can be."

He smiled. Sometimes, it was still hard to believe that Izzy ever would have agreed to go out with him. He still couldn't quite grasp the fact that Isabelle Lightwood was his _girlfriend_ , and he wasn't sure how he was so lucky. "I suppose," he remarked. "Hey, are you busy today?"

"Nope. What's up?"

"Nothing. Do you want to watch some _Doctor Who_ today?"

"Sure. I'll let you in when you get here." And with that, Izzy hung up. Simon rummaged through his clothes, looking for something decent to wear, unaware of the giant smile on his face.

…

Jace rang the doorbell and stood on Clary's porch, waiting. After waiting for a few seconds, Jace heard a Clary swear quietly on the other side of the door before she unlocked it and let him in. She was dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants (which Jace presumed were her pajamas), and her hair was a tangled mess. She stifled a yawn and looked at Jace. "You're early."

Jace checked the time. "No I'm not. I'm five minutes late. It's 10:05."

"Is it? Ugh." She stumbled back upstairs. "It's too early for any sane human to be awake."

After Jace shut and locked the door behind him, he went upstairs and found Clary's bedroom. She had lain down on her bed again, but she got up as Jace walked into her room. "I can't fall back asleep," she complained. "You woke me up."

"It's ten in the afternoon. You should have been up, anyway."

Clary got up and muttered something that sounded a lot like "I hate early risers." She went to her closet and pulled out a cardigan. "I'm going to go get a cup of coffee. Do you want anything?" she asked tiredly.

Jace shook his head and Clary left the room. He hadn't brought anything besides his phone, keys, and wallet. He would have snuck out with his backpack if Izzy hadn't been downstairs when he'd left. He didn't know what he would do for the next few hours. Maybe he'd do his English homework.

He sat on Clary's bed and looked around her room. It wasn't as messy as Isabelle's room (Jace didn't understand why that girl had a closet if she was going to drape her clothes everywhere), but it was still fairly messy. Clothes were everywhere, and the spilled contents of her backpack were on the floor next to the bed. Art supplies were in a bucket in the corner, along with an easel. A painting was drying in the corner (which would explain why Clary seemed to always smell like paint). He got up to take a closer look at the painting. The canvas was covered in different shades of yellow, with curlicues and lines covering it. He was trying to understand the painting when Clary walked in.

"What are you doing?" she asked, freezing in the doorway.

"Just looking at your painting. You're very good, you know. What's this supposed to be?"

"That… is supposed to be private." Clary finally moved from the doorway. She set her coffee down on the table and walked over to Jace. "But it's supposed to be happy. The emotion."

Jace stood up and looked at Clary. He noticed yellow smudges on her shirt. "And what made you so happy last night?"

"Nothing in particular. It was just an old piece that I had lying around, and I decided to finish it." She looked away from his eyes and picked up her coffee again, sipping from it cautiously as she sat down in her chair. "So what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know. All I have on me is my phone, keys, and wallet."

"You didn't bring your laptop or homework or whatever?" Clary asked, surprised.

"Izzy was downstairs when I was leaving, and leaving with a backpack would have looked more suspicious than if I had left with nothing," Jace said in defense of himself.

Clary sighed. "Are you going to be bored?"

"Probably. Unless you entertain me," Jace said suggestively, waggling his eyebrows. Clary rolled her eyes and slapped him in the chest. (It stung more than Jace thought it would.)

"Change of plans. We're going to go eat."

"Seriously?"

"Well," Clary said, half glaring at Jace, "I just woke up, so I'm hungry. I don't know if you've eaten yet, but there's no decent food in the house so I need to go buy breakfast."

"It's really closer to lunch."

Clary threw her hands up, exasperated. "Fine, lunch. Whatever. I need to eat."

Jace's eyes lit up. "I know this great place…"

…

After Clary got dressed and found her wallet, Jace led her outside. He had promised her "the greatest food in all of New York," which was the only reason as to why she was letting him lead her on a twenty-minute walk to some place she'd never heard of.

When they got to Taki's, the waitress at the counter lit up with a smile. "Hi Jace."

"Hey, Helen."

He led Clary over to a table at the back of the cozy little restaurant. Helen came by a few seconds later with menus and water. "Oh, hi." She glanced at Clary, then glared at Jace. "Another one? This one doesn't seem like one of your usual girls. She seems nice. Don't break her, alright?"

Jace looked uncomfortable. "It's not like I try to hurt people. It just… happens."

Helen gave him a withering look as she put down the water. "Whether you try to or not, it still happens." She set down the menus and reached into her pocket for a notepad. "What do you guys want?"

"I'll have a cheeseburger," Jace muttered.

Clary scanned the menu frantically. "Um… Can I get coconut pancakes and a coffee?"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

As Helen walked away, Clary took a sip of her water. "So… What was that about?" Clary asked curiously.

"Nothing," Jace mumbled. "She's just talking about my ex-girlfriends."

"Does she speak from experience?"

"Helen? No. She's a lesbian. Although I dated her girlfriend, Aline, before she came out. I also dated her co-worker, Kaelie."

"Oh? Is that how you found this place? You found a girlfriend who led you here?"

Jace shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as he chuckled. "Actually I found this place last Christmas. We were at this party, and I got super hammered, and I started doing some very regrettable things. Anyways, I ended up on a table wearing nothing but my boxers and reindeer antlers on my head, and Alec had to chase me around the party. He forced me back into my clothes, dragged Izzy back to the car, and drove us home. We started complaining about how hungry we were, and he had no choice but to stop by Taki's. It was the only place in the neighborhood still open at 3 AM."

"That sounds like… an eventful night."

"It kind of was. I actually met Kaelie for the first time that night. I didn't ask her out until I broke up with Aline, which came after Julie…" He stared at the wall behind Clary. "You know, it's been an awfully long time since my last relationship. What, three months since my last ex?" His eyebrows arched up. "That's a new record."

Clary rolled her eyes, unsure of how to proceed. The fact that Jace had dated so many girls bothered her more than it should have. After all, it wasn't like they were actually dating. Besides, she'd seen Aline and Julie in the halls. Aline was a tall, beautiful human being, like someone you'd see modeling for Maybelline. Julie was taller than Aline, and she had a certain regality about her, like Charlize Theron or something. They made her jealous, since she had always been short, and they were so beautiful, so untouchable… Who would even believe Clary when she tried to convince people that she and Jace were in a relationship? Their lie would fall apart. It was such a stupid idea; why did Jace, who could have any girl he wanted, agree to be Clary's pretend boyfriend?

"You look upset," Jace said. He was staring right at Clary unashamedly.

"I'm fine," Clary muttered.

"You're clearly not." He smirked. "What, did talking about my ex-girlfriends make you jealous?"

Clary really hoped that her cheeks didn't betray her as she looked at the ketchup bottle as if it were the most interesting thing in the universe. "No. Why would I be jealous?"

"Wait." Jace pulled her chin back, forcing her to look at him. "You're actually jealous?"

"Didn't I just say that I wasn't?"

"You're a crap liar."

"I am not."

"It's okay, I'm a crap liar, too."

"As long as you know it."

"Still," Jace continued, letting go of Clary's chin, "don't try and change the subject. Why were you so bothered?"

"You know, I really wasn't. But Helen was within earshot when you said that, and I felt like I had to be in character."

There was a glimmer in Jace's eyes that led Clary to believe that he wasn't completely fooled. _Oh no._ "Keep on telling yourself that."

"What did you do with your girlfriends?" Clary asked quickly, before Jace could continue interrogating her.

"The usual. Coffee, movies, dinner." He took a sip of his water. "What do you usually do with rat boy?"

Clary glared at him. "Don't call him that. He's a good person, and my best friend. Also, we're not dating, so it's different."

"Still, what do you do?"

"Nerd stuff. We play video games – I always win, despite what he says, – we have marathons together and we cry about our feels."

Just then, Helen came back with their food. Clary though she'd faint from the scent wafting off her pancakes (which happened to be mini-pancakes, the best kind), and she thanked Helen breathlessly before she dug into her pancakes. As soon as the pancake hit her taste buds, she nearly died. She drenched the pancake in syrup before she shoved the whole thing into her mouth. She didn't realize that Jace was staring at her until she swallowed.

"You ate that very quickly," he said perceptively.

"In self-defense, it's really good."

"I mean, I know the food's good, but I've never seen anyone inhale food like that before. At least, not girls."

She kicked him in the shin. "I'm hungry. It's been an hour since I woke up." She slowed down her pace a bit. "Besides, I'm not like all the other skinny twigs that you've dated."

"That is definitely true." He munched thoughtfully on his burger. "But seriously, how do you eat so much? You're so tiny." He frowned. "You're not bulimic, are you? "

"Of course not. Have you seen me leave to go to the bathroom after lunch?"

"I suppose not. Good. Eating disorders make me sad about our world and the media."

Clary raised her eyebrows. "Whoa, it got a little deep there. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Let's talk about something lighter."

"Like what?"

Clary finished off her second pancake and took a sip of her coffee. It, too, was perfect. "I don't know. Like… what's your favorite color?"

"Green. Like the color of the grass on the field."

"Black. Most people think that black is just a really solid color, but that's just because they've never used other colors to make black. Besides, it's the only color that can make me look like a BAMF and not a child playing dress-up." Clary sighed, thinking about Izzy, who effortlessly looked like a BAMF in everything. "You ask something."

After a moment of consideration, Jace spoke. "When's your birthday?"

"November 22. You?"

"February 6. Theoretically, if we stay 'together' that long, should we give each other presents?"

"I mean, I would have given you a present anyways, fake dating or not."

"Then I feel bad for not giving you a birthday present."

"Why? You didn't even really know me on my birthday."

"I guess that's true."

"So what's the best birthday present you've received?" Clary asked, changing the subject.

"I mean, the weirdest definitely was my seventh birthday. I wanted to have a bath in spaghetti, and my dad – somehow – made it happen. It also made me really happy for some reason, so I guess it's the best in that respect. Yours?"

"My easel. I got it for my fifteenth birthday. I know, it's a really cliché artist-y answer, but I love that thing."

"What's the worst birthday present you've ever gotten, then?"

Clary shuddered. "One year my Aunt Sheryl got me a eye shadow palette. It was one of the really expensive ones, too. I had no idea what to do with it, since I _hate_ makeup, but I felt really bad not using it, so I ended up looking like a panda for two months before I gave it to some popular cheerleader."

"How generous of you," Jace chuckled.

"And your worst present would be?"

"One year, I got a hunting falcon. I loved that bird. One day, I decided to let it out of its cage, and it scratched my face pretty bad before it flew away."

"That… seems kind of illogical. Who gives their child a bird of prey?" Clary shook her head. "Anyways, what's your ideal birthday present.

"I'm trying to think of something affordable, but right now all I can think of is one of the soccer balls used in the World Cup. Any of them, really."

"How much are they?"

"You don't want to know."

Clary tried to raise an eyebrow, but failed miserably and sighed. "A few years ago, my ideal present would have been a tattoo of Donatello the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but now I think it's just some spray paint."

"What, do you want to become a graffiti artist?"

"No, I've just never spray painted anything before, and Simon gave me permission to spray paint his van – technically his friend Eric's van – if I ever get my hands on spray paint." By then, Clary had scarfed down all five of her mini-pancakes. Jace had finished his cheeseburger, but he still had half of his fries left. "Are you going to finish those?"

Jace shoved them towards her. "Don't eat them all."

They had gone a little cold, but they were still the best fries Clary had tasted. They were perfectly deep fried, and there was a perfect crispy-to-soggy ratio in the fry. She may or may not have sighed in content when she sank her teeth into the second fry.

"You're eating it as if it were your one true love in life," Jace joked.

"Hush, you're interrupting me and my significant other."

"Next time, you should try their tater tots. They're to die for."

Together, they finished the fries as they talked about the most trivial things about themselves. When they went to the counter to pay, Jace froze in his tracks and looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He tried to turn back, but it was too late.

"Omigosh, Jace! I haven't seen you in _forever_. How are you, baby? You didn't reply to any of my text messages!"

Jace faced the girl and put on a polite smile. "Kaelie. I thought you only worked at night."

The girl – Kaelie – pouted, then grinned. "I'm covering for a friend."

"That's nice. How much do we need to pay?"

"Oh, c'mon, Jace. You should talk to your girlfriend. You dropped off of the face of the Earth." _Girlfriend? I thought Jace said that they broke up._ "We haven't talked in like, three months." _When your boyfriend suddenly stops texting you for three months, that kind of means that he's your ex. Can't you take a hint?_

Jace sighed. "Kaelie, you're a nice girl and all, but when I texted you and said that I didn't want to date you anymore, I wasn't joking."

Kaelie laughed. "Of course you were. I mean, who can compare to me?" _Narcissistic much?_ "Besides," Kaelie went on, obviously oblivious to Clary's presence, "you _texted_ that. You'd never do anything that douche-y."

"The only reason why I texted you was because you would start kissing me when I tried to break up with you."

"Oh, please. Jace, just so you know, it's not April Fool's Day."

"I'm perfectly aware of that."

"So you're trying to break up with me? What, have you found someone prettier?" She finally caught sight of Clary, who was standing next to Jace and glaring ferociously at Kaelie. "What, this tiny little thing? She looks like she's twelve."

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Jace growled, reaching for Clary's hand. Clary, understand Jace's intent, looped her arm around his waist and pulled herself flush to him. His arm came up to drape itself around her shoulders. Clary gave Kaelie her fiercest glare, but the other girl didn't notice.

"Seriously?" Kaelie started laughing like a lunatic. "You dump me, someone who's gorgeous enough to be a supermodel, for that tiny little midget over there? You're delusional," she snarled, "and you'll never find anyone like me ever again."

"That was kind of the point," Jace muttered exasperatedly.

Kaelie let out a condescending "hmpf!" and stormed off. Moments later, Helen weaved through the restaurant and moved behind the counter. "Sorry about that. Your total is $26.25."

Clary was just about to ask if they could split the check when Jace handed over some bills. "You don't have to pay for me," Clary said, frowning.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." He shot her a look that clearly told her not to argue about it. Helen handed Jace his change, which he put in the tip jar. "Bye Helen," he called as he dragged Clary out of the shop.

"We should have split the bill," she grumbled.

"Just think about it as a favor. I did you a favor by paying for your lunch, and you did me a favor by saving me from Kaelie. Thanks for playing along, by the way." Clary thought about feeling Jace at her side and how strangely comfortable it had been, even though it had also made her feel sort of tingly. Maybe it was something she had eaten.

"It's fine." Clary paused. "Although you know you're still holding my hand, right?"

Jace looked down to see their interlocking fingers. "So I am," he mused. When he let go of her hand, Clary could feel the missing warmth and kind of regretted bringing it up. Their hands had fit together so well, and she missed the way it had enveloped her hand, especially since the day was so cold.

"Do you remember how to get back to my house?" Clary asked. "Because I don't."

"Of course I do; I led you here. You're in safe hands."

"Do you want to watch the new Sherlock special when we get back? It's called _The Abominable Bride_. I've already watched it. It's really good."

"Sure." He smiled down at her, leaving her to wonder why her stomach had flipped at the sight of his grin.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy International Shadowhunters release day!**

 **Did you guys watch the new Shadowhunters TV Show? Did you guys like it?**

 **Also, fun fact: Jade Hassoune (who plays Meliorn in the show) COMMENTED ON MY INSTAGRAM FAN ACCOUNT I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. He also tagged Dominic Sherwood (the guy who plays Jace) and Sarah Hyland, Dom's girlfriend. *squeals* (My fan account is majorbookfandoms, if anyone's curious).**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter! Sorry for taking so long, but it's a pretty long chapter so... :-/**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	12. Chapter 12

After they had finished _The Abominable Bride_ , Jace borrowed Clary's laptop while she worked on a new sketch. He left at 3, saying that he still had to do some homework at home. After Clary showed him out, Clary's mom wandered downstairs. "That wasn't Simon or Jordan," she observed as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Are you guys together?"

"Mom," Clary groaned. Jocelyn Fray arched an eyebrow at her daughter. "It's just… It's complicated, alright?"

"Well, he seems like a nice boy," Clary's mother commented. "I give you my blessing."

"I don't need your blessing because nothing's happening," Clary grumbled.

"If you insist," her mother said mildly. "But mothers can always tell."

Clary rolled her eyes and went back to her room.

…

Monday rolled around again and Jace was in English again, thinking about Clary. Saturday had been… nice. His mind trailed back to their encounter with Kaelie. (Had she really thought that they were still going out?) He knew he should be cringing about it – and a tiny part of him was – but when he thought back to their encounter, all he could think about was how Clary had willingly put her arm around him and glared so fiercely at Kaelie. The protectiveness and ferocity in her eyes had surprised him. He didn't expect for her to look so convincing.

The door opened, which caused Jace to look up. Clary was panting as she walked towards Jace and sat in the seat next to him. "Hey," she greeted.

"What's up?"

"Simon's car was having issues. I almost didn't make it here it time. Speaking of which, Simon's onto us. Apparently he saw you walking into my house on Saturday."

"I told you Izzy would investigate."

"Yeah, well, I guess today's the day," Clary sighed. "You ready?"

"Yup." He looked worriedly at Clary. "Are you sure you don't want to back out?"

"Of course I am. How about you? You've got a thousand suitors lining up at your door, _and_ you're the star player of the soccer team. I'll probably be bad publicity."

Jace snorted. "Please, being seen around Izzy's boyfriend already ruined my reputation. Dating a pretty – albeit nerdy – girl like you won't damage it that much more. People will probably think that I'm going through a phase or something. In fact, they'll probably be reassured that I'm starting to date again."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Well, if you want to commit social suicide, I suppose I can't stop you."

…

As soon as Clary's sat down, Maia and Izzy were all over her?

"So?" Maia asked, her eyes shining brightly. "What did you do over the weekend?"

"Nothing much," Clary lied. "I just sat around and watched movies."

Isabelle swept her hair over her shoulders impatiently. "Oh, cut the crap, Clary. I know you cancelled your movie thingy with Simon. And I know you 'hung out' with Jace when you were supposed to be watching the movie with Simon."

Clary shot a look at Jace (who was sitting next to her) that clearly said, _Help!_ He shrugged back at her. "I… um… Jace didn't want to tell you guys, but he's failing Math and he needed my help."

"You suck at math," Simon piped up.

"Did I say Math?" Clary laughed nervously. "I meant English."

"That's funny, because Jace is actually surprisingly good at English."

"Is he really? I guess the tutoring's really been working, then."

"It's been his favorite subject since kindergarten."

"Ah."

"C'mon, Clary. Just spit it out. We already know you guys are dating. You wouldn't cancel a HP marathon for just anyone."

"We're just friends!" Clary said exasperatedly. "I don't like him like that!"

Jace looked mildly heartbroken for a second. He covered it up with a stony faced expression. "How swiftly you dismiss our love," he muttered under his breath, so softly only Clary could have heard it under the din of the cafeteria.

What he didn't expect, though, was the fact that Maia had the hearing of a wolf. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed. "So you guys _are_ together!"

Clary was trapped, and she knew that there was nowhere for her to push the we're-dating-but-I-don't-want-you-guys-to-find-out thing. So she sighed and looked at her hands while resting her head on Jace's shoulder. "Kind of."

Izzy and Maia squealed. Maia and Izzy leapt up from their seats, and just when Clary thought that they were going to drag her away to start asking her for details, Izzy grabbed Jace's wrist and pulled him up. "If you ever hurt Clary in any way, shape, or form, I will personally murder you."

"Not if I murder you first," Maia growled.

Clary laughed as Jace shot her a panicked look. She shrugged at him and turned to Simon and Jordan. _Hopefully Simon believes me._

…

When Clary admitted that she and Jace were a thing, Simon was shocked. He didn't know what to think. On one hand, he'd seen Jace walk into Clary's house, _and_ Izzy had talked to him about unlikely relationships. On the other hand, he still couldn't really believe that Clary would date _Jace_ , of all people. He knew that Clary took dating seriously, and if she was willing to ditch HP for Jace, then that definitely meant that he was kind of important to her. But to hear from Clary herself that she was dating him… It felt weird, since Clary had never kept secrets from him before. And it was kind of out of character for her to date someone like Jace.

When Izzy and Maia started attacking Jace and threatening him, he decided to talk to Clary. (He also felt bad for Jace. He'd pissed off Maia before, and that definitely didn't end well.) "Clary," he started, unsure what to ask first.

"Yeah?" Clary almost seemed nervous to talk to him.

"Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

"Goodness, Simon. _No._ The only reason as to why I didn't tell you this immediately was because I wasn't sure how you'd take it. Are you okay?"

Simon smiled. That was so typical of Clary: to worry about other people while she was in the middle of a crisis. "I'm perfectly fine. After all, we're still best friends, right?"

"Forever and ever," she grinned.

"But still, when did you start… you know…"

Simon wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but Clary seemed a little uncomfortable. "Actually, it was New Years. While you two were watching that terrible movie, I went to Jace's room. Since I kind of liked him already, I was really awkward and I didn't know what to say. Anyways, we started talking and halfway through the conversation, I asked him if it'd be awkward during the New Years count down since you're supposed to kiss the person next to you or whatever. And then he asked me if he could kiss me for the countdown, and since he was sitting next to me, we kind of kissed…" Simon made a face at this, causing Clary to roll her eyes. "Oh please, you're such a hypocrite. Don't you remember the time I found you on the billiards table at Magnus's house? Anyways, after he kissed me, he said that he liked me too and we just decided to start dating."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how you'd react."

"True. _I_ don't even know how I'm reacting."

"Are you okay with this whole thing?"

Simon scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, you can do whatever the heck you want with your life, and you know you can do whatever the heck you want. But… I don't know. This is kind of out of the blue."

"Is it?" If Simon didn't know better, he would have said that Clary looked terrified.

"Maybe it isn't. But I thought you weren't into guys like Jace."

"Guys like Jace?"

"Didn't you think abs were overrated? And I thought you said sports were stupid. The two things that define Jace are literally abs and sports."

"Thanks." Jace suddenly appeared beside Simon, scaring the crap out of him. Simon sincerely hoped Jace hadn't heard his little speech. If he had, he'd ignored Simon. Jace sat down next to Clary, his hand finding hers instinctually. Clary leaned into him subconsciously, and even Simon had to admit that even though they were an odd couple, they still fit together.

He sighed and addressed Jace. "Just don't hurt her, okay? I probably can't threaten you, but if you hurt her, I'll die trying to kill you."

Weirdly enough, Simon didn't think Jace was going to hurt Clary, despite his history. He saw the way Clary's eyes had a different glimmer in them when she saw Jace, and only an idiot would be able to miss Jace's protectiveness of Clary. Even Simon could see how much Jace cared for Clary.

"But you guys really are a thing?" Simon asked hesitantly.

Clary and Jace nodded.

"Crap. I owe Izzy fifty bucks now," he said sadly.

…

After Maia and Izzy had finished threatening Jace and Simon had finished interrogating her, Clary slipped off to art. Izzy caught up with her moments later, and Clary braced herself for the questions.

"So? What happened between you guys? When did this start? I told you that you'd be adorable together?"

Clary frowned. "Did you? You did not."

Izzy waved an impatient hand at her. "Well, I rooted for you guys from the beginning. Anyways, when did you guys start dating?"

"I mean, we got together on New Years…"

"Really? Oh my gosh, that's so cute!"

Clary entered the art classroom and took her usual seat uncomfortably. "I guess so."

"When did you guys start?"

Clary frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know, when did you realize that you liked him? For me and Simon, it was after the Mockingjay movie. Like, I thought he was nerd-hot before, but then I realized that he was actually a really nice guy. After that, I just started noticing him, you know?" There was brightness in Izzy's eyes, and Clary could see how happy Simon made her. She was happy they were together, and was reminded of why she'd done this in the first place. "Anyways. How bout you?"

"Oh. Um…" Clary mentally ran through all her encounters with Jace. "I guess… Magnus's party? He was in the music room playing the piano, and I was looking for a quiet place. We ended up talking for a really long time, and I started to know who Jace was. That was when I couldn't ignore it anymore."

Izzy grinned at Clary. "Aren't you glad that I made you go to that party?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "Nope. I still would have preferred to stay home." She frowned. "Izzy, you're okay with me dating your brother's best friend, right? I mean, I didn't try to use you to get close to Jace or anything –"

"Don't worry about it," Izzy laughed. "I know you didn't. I can tell. Besides, like I said, I've been rooting for you guys from the start. I'm perfectly fine with you dating him, as long as we still hang out." Suddenly, Izzy glared at Clary, making her shiver. "But if you become one of those girls who devotes her life to her boyfriend, I will murder you."

Clary snorted. "Please, have you met me? I would never."

As Art started, Clary thought back to Magnus's party and what she had said about Jace. When she started thinking about getting to know Jace and all of his idiosyncrasies, she found herself smiling.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry for putting this up so late!**

 **Here's my excuse: I was failing Geometry, so I had to work on a project to pull my grade back up. _And_ I have a music theory exam next week, so I need to study for that. **

**Since I have a theory exam next week, I won't be posting anything next week. On the bright side, I'll post _two_ chapters the week after next. **

**I feel really guilty about posting this so late in the week and having this be so short. :( I really need to be more productive.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	13. Chapter 13

It was the weekend, and Clary stood at the front gate of a house. She double-checked the address Jace had given her. "Don't come to the Lightwoods," he'd said. "Izzy will be snooping." Instead, he'd given her the address of his own house, which she'd never seen before. She was fairly sure that this was the right address. _Only one way to find out_. Sighing, she called Jace's number. "Hey," she greeted him. "I'm outside."

"Cool. Wait a second."

He hung up on her, but he soon appeared at the front door wearing jeans and a leather jacket. (Clary, on the other hand, was bundled up in a sweater, a coat, a scarf, and mittens. She had wanted to wear snow pants, but her mother had thrown them away, so she settled for leggings under her jeans.) "Aren't you cold?" she asked as Jace fumbled with the locks.

"Not really," he replied, leading her to his front door. "Besides, it's much warmer inside."

He locked the door behind her, and she took off her scarf. She turned around to the sound of his laughter. "What?" she asked.

He reached up to her hair. "You have snow in your hair."

"Well, so do you," she scowled. But she let him try to get the snow out of her hair anyways, before it all melted and made her hair a frizzy mess. She was so close to Jace's body, she could feel the heat radiating off of him. Clary didn't realize that she was holding her breath until Jace awkwardly moved back from her, turning to replace his keys so Clary couldn't see his face. The absence of heat suddenly became obvious to her, and she shivered. "Hey Jace," she began, clutching at coat, "do you have any blankets around here?"

Jace lifted an eyebrow. "You're wearing a thousand layers, and yet you're still cold?"

Clary stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I'm sorry we can't all be immune to temperatures."

He chuckled as he led her through a door. There was a couch (which had plenty of blankets on it) and a giant TV in front of it. Clary dove for the couch, burrowing herself under the blankets. She huddled in them, settling in, and noticed Jace who was standing in the doorframe, laughing at her. "What?" she asked defensively.

"Are you really that cold?"

She worked her hand out of the protective blanket barrier and held it out for him to feel. He plopped down onto the couch next to her, enveloping her hand in his. "Holy crap."

"I told you," Clary muttered smugly under her breath.

"Scoot over and give me some of the blanket."

Clary stared at him. "Did you not just feel my hand? Are you insane?"

"Just do it," Jace said impatiently. "Since my body temperature is higher than yours, I'll warm the blankets up faster than you would by yourself."

Clary opened her mouth to argue, but it seemed like a fairly logical explanation. "Fine, but put in the movie before you get in."

"Where is it?" Jace asked. "Did you forget?"

"Of course not," Clary scoffed. "It's in my bag somewhere."

Jace looked genuinely surprised. "You're letting me go through your bag?"

"I mean, it's not a big deal. The movie's pretty much the only thing in there, besides my phone and loose change."

Jace (still surprised) fished the DVD out of her purse and put it into the DVD player, adjusting the settings. (Clary may have checked him out as he knelt before the TV, but she would have never admitted it to anyone – including herself.) He walked over to her, sitting down on the couch next her. She unraveled the blanket barrier and let Jace scoot under the blankets. "So what's this movie again?"

"It's called _Scott Pilgrim vs. the World_. I think you'll like it." She snuggled into Jace's side, trying to warm herself up without making things too awkward. _Besides, I've snuggled with Simon before and that wasn't awkward, was it? So why should this be any different? You're just hanging out with your male friend, that's all._ Thankfully, Jace didn't feel awkward, and he didn't complain about how cold he was feeling, although he must have been freezing.

The Universal Studios theme began, and as Jace passed Clary the bowl of popcorn, they stopped talking for the next two hours.

…

"So what did you think of the movie?" Clary asked. She had shed her layers during the middle of the movie, and was now just had her t-shirt and jeans on, along with a thin cardigan.

"It was good. Far better than anything Izzy would have forced me to watch," Jace added. They were in the kitchen and Jace was cooking lunch while Clary sat on the countertops. She had offered to cook, but Jace insisted on cooking, which was probably because he'd heard about the many times she'd accidentally set food on fire from Simon.

"You know, in an alternate universe where everyone we knew was in a band, I bet you'd be Scott. Not the lead guitarist, but the one who's having the craziest relationships."

Jace scoffed. "Please, I'd be the lead guitarist-singer-person _and_ I'd be getting all the girls." He stirred the pot a bit more. "Who'd you be, that weird, obsessive Asian girl?"

"Excuse you, I'd obviously be the ginger drummer."

"Obviously," Jace replied.

Clary looked discreetly at Jace, whose back was facing towards her. "Why are you always at the Lightwoods?" she asked suddenly.

Jace almost dropped his stirring spoon. "That was unexpected," he commented.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Clary said hurriedly.

"I know," Jace said quietly. "It's okay." He scratched his head nervously. "Where do I start? Well, um… My mom passed away when I was a baby, and my dad's a businessman, so he's always traveling. To be honest, it used to be better. My dad used to be around a lot more. I used to have annual sleepovers with Alec when I was five, but as the years went on, dad went on longer trips. The Lightwoods offer to look after me, since I think they pity me a little bit. Which is reasonable, since I'm pretty sure the reason why my dad's never around is because I look like my mother, which reminds him of me. Deep down, I think dad blames mom's death on me. Giving birth weakened her, and she died of some random illness sometime later. And apparently I look more like my mother as time goes on, which doesn't help things. But anyways, dad visits every other Christmas, and I spend most of my time with the Lightwoods because they're basically my family, even though dad pays all the bills for this house. He makes sure that I have the option of staying here, which might be his way of telling me that he cares." Jace said all of this emotionlessly, facing away from her, as if he were scared that any emotion shown would cause it all to come flooding out. He laughed mirthlessly. "Anyways, I haven't been back here in a while, which is why there isn't any food. Sorry about that. I actually came over here a bit earlier to clean and make sure nothing died on the couch or something."

Clary recognized the last bit of Jace's monologue as a half-hearted attempt to change the subject, but she ignored it. His shoulders seemed so tense, and she had a sudden urge to comfort him. "That sucks. I can't imagine what you've gone through."

"It's okay. I've had a lot of time to deal with it. It doesn't really bother me anymore."

"But it still sucks. I mean, nothing like that has ever happened to me, but I know that it sucks when a parent dies." She shuffled uncomfortably on the counter. "My dad died when my mom was pregnant with me," she said quietly.

Jace turned around and examined Clary. "Clary you don't have to –"

She smiled wistfully up at him. "I know I don't. It's okay. I've had a lot of time to deal with this, too." She stared at her socks and took a deep breath. "I'm a lot luckier than you, or Jon for that matter. He was two when dad died, so he still kind of remembers him. I don't exactly think about my dad a lot, since Luke's always been around in my memory and he might as well be my dad. It was always harder on Jon, since whenever we'd go out for dinner or whatever, people would always think that he was adopted, or when we got older, they'd think that he was my boyfriend. No one would guess that he was my brother, since he looks exactly like dad and I look exactly like mom. I guess that's why he never felt like he really fit in, even though I'm super close to my parents." Her voice grew sad. "I haven't seen him in a few months, even though we used to be close, too. I would go to some of his soccer games, he would let me draw him, and we would hang out all the time. But once he went to college, he spent all of his spare time at college or with his girlfriend. It's as if he's trying to form a new life for himself, one that doesn't include his family or his past at all." She sighed. "He still comes back for breaks or major holidays. Sometimes I think it's because he has nowhere else to be, but maybe it's because he still cares about me. Just not as much as he used to." Clary looked up at Jace. "To be honest, I kind of miss him, even if he doesn't miss me." She realized what she had just said, and she stared at a spot on the wall. "Sorry. Don't know why I'm complaining when there's nothing significantly wrong in my life."

Jace, who had stayed silent through that entire thing, turned off the stove and hopped up on the counter next to her. "Just because your problems are different doesn't mean they're less significant. And it definitely doesn't mean they're less legitimate. Just because someone is more sad than you are doesn't mean you can't be sad."

"But my problems definitely are less significant. And we should worry about the bigger problems since we can live with the smaller problems."

Jace put his arm around Clary. "Yes, but you're missing out on a very important thing. Sometimes we can't do anything about the big problems, and the small ones are the only ones we can fix."

Clary looked up at Jace and peered into his eyes. They seemed so sad, so broken. When he was snarky, his eyes lit up with a fire, as if challenging you to fight. When he was angry, the fire transformed into something that threatened to burn you to the ground. But she'd never seen his eyes like this before: extinguished and stone cold. It made him seem so broken, so fragile. Or maybe it was the vulnerability in his posture, the way he slumped down and stared at the ceiling like a defeated man. Either way, Clary's heart broke for him. She hopped off of the counter and stood in front of him, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him. Jace, surprised, looked down at her. It was like she'd shocked him out of the cold, dead state; she had lit the fire, and it had caught flame. "This is way too depressing for the second date," she said, her words muffled by his chest. "We should eat. I'm hungry."

"Okay," was all he said as he plated the spaghetti. Clary spooned sauce on to each of their plates, rummaging through the drawers to find forks, and led him back in front of the TV. She turned it on, flipping through random channels as Jace sat down.

"It looks like we're watching cartoons or the news. Personally, I prefer cartoons," Clary said as cheerily as she could.

Jace (who was oddly composed) nodded his head as he dug in.

For the rest of the afternoon, they sat together on that couch, watching cartoons with their knees touching each other, bringing them a tiny scrap of comfort.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back :D  
**

 **Exams went as well as they could've; thanks to all the people who understood why I had to take a break and expressed concern about my grades.**

 **Hopefully this chapter wasn't too rushed or anything, since I literally wrote this in two-ish days.**

 **I'll be uploading another chapter this week, so stay tuned!**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry for making you guys wait. I feel really bad, and I don't have an excuse. :-/ Just plain old procrastination.**

 **Without further ado, here we go...**

* * *

Clary threw down her pencil in frustration. She'd been trying to come up with _something_ to turn in for her Art project on Monday, which happened to be tomorrow. No matter what she drew, it looked wrong. Clary had run out of ideas, and she had no inspiration.

Sighing, she plopped onto her bed and picked up her phone. Maybe hanging out with one of her friends would help. At least it'd help her take her mind off of things. Maybe they'd give her an idea, or maybe she'd have inspiration after they hung out. She scrolled through her list of contacts. _Iz._ No dice; all Izzy had talked about on their Friday sleepover was her date with Simon, which meant that Simon wouldn't be free, either. Sighing, she scrolled further. _Mai-Bae._ She didn't know if Maia had any plans, but Clary had no reason _not_ to call her. Besides, maybe Maia would be up for some Mario. She dialed Maia, who picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello?" Maia answered.

"Hey Maia. What's up?"

"Nothing much."

"Really? Well, I'm super bored, so do you want to come over and game for a while?"

"Oh…" Maia said, sounding a little breathless. "That might not be the… best idea."

"Why not?" Clary asked, frowning.

"I'm actually a little… preoccupied."

"I thought you said you weren't busy."

"I'm not right now… Trust me, there's nothing happening right now." Maia laughed nervously. "Absolutely noth –" Suddenly, Maia gasped.

"Is everything okay?" Clary asked.

"Everything's fine. Marvelous. J – Just fantas – "

And that was when Maia let out a moan.

Clary screamed in pure horror. "Are you having _sex_ right now? What the heck, Maia?" As quickly as possible, Clary hung up on Maia. Disgusted, she threw her phone onto her mattress and lay down, her hair sprawled around her face. She groaned. _All of my friends have things to do. No one's free to mess around._ Sighing, she picked up her phone again and continued scrolling through her contacts. Her eyes landed on Jace's name. _Jace?_ She bit her thumb, thinking. _He could be busy… In fact, he's probably busy. But I don't know that. Why shouldn't I call him? I mean, I'm his fake girlfriend. It would make sense for me to hang out with him. But… I've been spending so much time with him recently. Maybe he'd like a break from me._ She glanced at her phone again. _Screw it. I'm just going to call him._

She dialed his number, tapping her fingers impatiently on her leg. He picked up right at the last second. "What's up?" he asked.

"The sky," Clary joked. (She could _feel_ Jace rolling his eyes over the phone.) "Anyways, I was wondering if you were busy."

"Why?"

Sighing, Clary picked up her pencil and started fiddling with it. "I don't know. I'm supposed to turn in an art piece on Monday, but I can't think of anything to draw. I just need to get out of the house and find some inspiration."

"Oh. Well, I'm at the school soccer field with Alec. He's helping me practice before soccer season starts up again. You can come watch us if you want."

"That sounds perfect. I'll bring my sketchbook."

…

Twenty minutes later, Clary arrived at the school field. She made her way to the bleachers, waving at Jace as she walked past. He waved back at her and was about to yell something when the other boy – Clary assumed it was Alec – kicked the ball at Jace. It bounced off of his knee, but Jace chased after it, skillfully scoring past Alec (who was goalkeeper).

Clary sat down on the bleachers and made herself as comfortable as she could. She pulled her sketchbook out of her bag, flipping it open to a blank page. Clary reached for a pencil, tapping it against the bleachers as she thought about something to draw. She watched Jace do some sort of drill, moving across the field quickly and spinning to avoid a invisible opponent and scoring on Alec once more. The speed and agility Jace possessed was something Clary had never had. Simon had always relentlessly teased her for falling. She often tripped over her own shoelaces, but there had also been occasions where she'd tripped over thin air. But as she watched Jace and Alec switch positions, she realized that Jace was faster and more agile than the average person. Alec (who was a very fit human being who could probably squash her if he wanted to) was noticeably slower than Jace. Clary's gaze drifted to Jace, who zipped around the field and still seemed fairly energetic. To Clary, it seemed like he possessed superhuman speed. She then started daydreaming about the supernatural. What if people had supernatural qualities? Clary suddenly remembered her sketchbook in her lap. _Hmm… something supernatural…_ An idea popped into her head, and she started arcing her pencil across the paper.

She quickly sketched down the important parts of her artwork. _The head goes here… the wings go there… body goes here, like that…_ She started adding details, and before long, it started to look like what she had pictured in her head.

"What're you drawing?" Jace and Alec had taken a break, and Clary didn't realize Jace had crept up behind her. He was leaning over her shoulder, peering at her sketch. She quickly closed it. He sat next to her, grinning. "Was that a self portrait, angel?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "That's such a terrible pet name. Of all the pet names, that is possibly the worst. Besides, I was clearly drawing a guy angel."

He grinned at her wolfishly. "Oh, so were you drawing me? I'm flattered. You know, if you'd like, I can be your nude model next time."

"Dear goodness, Jace," Alec groaned. "Stop flirting with the poor girl. Honestly, why do you have to flirt with every single girl you meet?"

Jace turned towards Alec. "What, I'm not allowed to flirt with my own girlfriend? You'd think, of all the people in the world, it'd be the most acceptable to flirt with your own girlfriend."

Alec looked incredulously up at Jace. "Wait… _this_ is your girlfriend?"

"What do you mean, 'is this my girlfriend'? Dude, you've seen her before."

Clary rolled her eyes at him as she got up from the bleachers. "It's fine, we all know I'm not as tall as the girls you usually date. Or as… curvy," she said, making a face.

Jace moved to hug her. "It's okay, I like you more than the others,"

"Obviously," Clary snorted. She ducked under his arm, laughing. "Dude, you're all sweaty. Stay away from me."

"Oh really?" Jace cocked his head to one side, like a curious puppy who had very calculating eyes. _Oh crap._ Before Clary could run away, Jace darted towards her and trapped Clary next to his very sweaty chest. (Clary also noticed that he was _very_ muscular, but she was trying to ignore that fact right now.) She tried to run away, but he had a tight grip on her. When Jace picked her up and swung her around like a rag doll, she yelped, kicking helplessly at the air.

Alec, who was now sitting on the bleachers, sighed loudly. "Can you guys not?" he asked, sighing.

Jace turned to face Alec, loosening his grip for a second. That was all Clary needed to break free from Jace's grip. She ran away, giggling as she sat next to Alec on the bleachers. Clary snatched a towel from Jace's duffle bag, which was lying next to her feet, and threw it at Jace. "Towel. Use it."

Jace caught the towel and rolled his eyes at her. His eyes then grew playful, and he winked at her as he pulled his shirt over his head.

Clary peeled her eyes away from Jace's perfect abs, even as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. _Look at the face, don't look any lower, focus on the face…_ She peered into his eyes. Usually they were an orangey yellow colour, but in the sun, they looked like streams of liquefied gold frozen in an instant of time for eternity. "You know, I really don't need a nude model." She tried to make her face look as impassive as possible. "Aren't you cold?"

This caused Alec to start laughing. "Oh, Jace. This one's probably my favorite. I'm glad you're with someone who can handle you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jace asked defensively.

"Someone who doesn't swoon when you enter the room," Alec explained, rolling his eyes. "Someone who sees how idiotic you are on a day to day basis without becoming a blushing mess." He looked pointedly at Jace's bare chest.

Jace sat down next to Clary and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I mean, Clary _is_ blushing, although I'm not too sure if I know what you mean by blushing mess."

She shot him a dirty look. "It's cold and windy. Don't flatter yourself; it's unbecoming."

"You know what?" Alec grinned. "I like her."

"Thanks," Clary smiled. "So, how long have you known Jace?"

"Since we were children. We're basically brothers. I've seen him do all sorts of crazy things, like the time he jumped off of the roof…"

…

Jace sighed as he pulled his shirt back on. For the past 15 minutes, Alec had been telling Clary embarrassing stories from his childhood. He had thought that Alec would've disapproved of Clary, since he seemed to disapprove of all of his girlfriends. Now he wished that Alec disapproved of Clary more.

While Alec entertained Clary with some horribly embarrassing stories, Jace climbed up the bleachers. He noticed Clary's notebook lying closed on the bleachers, next to Clary's bag. Jace glanced at Clary, checking to see that she was still talking to Alec, and opened the notebook.

He caught the pencil before it fell to the ground. Jace placed it back on the page, examining the artwork Clary had done. It was an angel, looking down at the ground with his wings wrapped around him. Even Jace, someone who couldn't draw a straight line if his life depended on it, could see how beautiful it was; how the angel's sadness could be seen in his eyes, and how his brokenness could be seen in his gaze. It wasn't even a complete sketch, and it was beautiful. The only thing more beautiful than the angel was Clary.

The thought slipped past Jace before he realized what he was thinking. He was surprised by his thought, but mostly because it was true. All the other girls – Kaelie, Aline, Julie – were pretty because they had covered themselves with makeup and a fake personality. Clary was beautiful because she was _real_. She didn't try to be someone who she wasn't. She knew exactly who she was, and she was okay with that. Even though she had her flaws, they were a part of her, and she didn't run from them or hide them by painting over them. She faced her flaws, and that took bravery. He didn't know if she was beautiful because she was brave or because she was real, but he knew that he wouldn't have her any other way.

Then came the crushing realization. Jace had forgotten for one second, one glorious second, that Clary wasn't actually his girlfriend. She probably still thought that he was only doing this out of compassion. And since Jace had no plans to tell Clary about his feelings anytime soon, for fear of ruining everything between them, it looked like Jace would continue to be the friend-who's-helping-you-pretend-to-be-in-a-relationship-so-your-best-friend-doesn't-accidentally-mess-up-his-relationship-with-his-girlfriend. It was complicated and fragile, but at least it was better than nothing. Sighing, Jace snapped the sketchbook shut.

"Jace!" Clary screamed, scrambling up and snatching the sketchbook out of his hands.

"I'm sorry, I know how you are about your art, I shouldn't have done that–"

Clary cut him off. "Oh good. You didn't bend the pages or smudge anything."

"I thought you were protective of your art," Jace frowned.

"Just my personal stuff. This is my school sketchbook. It's not really that terrible if you look at stuff in here, since I have to turn in all of this stuff here." She paused, then looked up at Jace. "Although I don't really like people looking at my unfinished art."

"You know what? Alec and I should probably get back to practice," Jace said slowly, backing away.

"Fine," Alec sighed as he stood up. "But remind me to tell you how Jace lost his virginity. It's hilarious."

"WE'RE LEAVING," Jace yelled, dragging Alec away from a chuckling Clary. She was still laughing when Jace and Alec got to the center of the field, but she had picked up her pencil and started drawing again. She was just so beautiful, with her hair draped across her shoulder and that stunning smile on her face.

"You really like her, don't you?" Jace was brought back to reality by Alec's voice. Alec was staring at Jace with his unnerving blue eyes. He chose not to respond. Instead, he kicked the ball at the goal. Unfortunately for Jace, Alec blocked it. "I'll take your silence as a yes."

"I don't." Jace said abruptly. "Like her, that is."

"Really?" Alec cocked an eyebrow at Jace as he passed the ball back. "Why were you staring, then? It's not like she's pretty or anything."

"Don't – " Jace started, just as he realized that he'd fallen right into Alec's trap.

"Don't what?" Alec taunted. "Don't say that she's not pretty? I think that's what you were going to say. Wasn't that what you were going to say?"

Jace silently kicked the ball back at Alec with renewed ferocity. He didn't like that Alec had him trapped in this corner, and he didn't want to admit his feelings. Some part of him still believed that admitting his feelings would make them real, and it would be better for him – and for Clary – if his feelings were something that would pass. But he knew that these feelings would last for a long time, if not forever.

Alec hadn't noticed Jace's discomfort (or the fact that Jace had kicked the ball harder than he needed to). If he had, he chose not to address it. "You know," Alec started, kicking the ball up in the air and starting to head it, "I'm going to repeat something that Izzy once very wisely said to me before I started dating Magnus."

"Which is?"

"You'd be a lot happier if you weren't so freaking repressed." Alec let the ball bounce to the ground. "Of course, since it was Izzy, she used less pretty words, but same idea."

Jace sighed. There was no way to get out of this without Alec confirming what he already knew. "Maybe."

"Maybe what?" Alec asked, now juggling the soccer ball up in the air. **(A/N: Apparently, juggling is also known as keepie-uppies or kick-ups?)**

"Maybe I kind of really like her," Jace grumbled.

Alec lost his balance and almost fell on the ground. He sat down and looked up at Jace in wonder. "Holy crap," he whispered, almost to himself. "You must like her way more than I thought. Holy crap."

Jace rolled his eyes. "I said maybe."

Alec got up and patted the dirt off of his shorts. "Don't lie, you're practically in love with her."

They stayed silent for a while, with Jace scoring almost every goal he shot. He assumed that Alec was still processing the conversation that they still had. Jace thought that it was better to continue in silence rather than try and talk to Alec. Besides, he never was any good at talking about feelings. When Jace had scored his twentieth goal, Alec spoke up. "Don't break her, Jace."

"What?"

"Just… Don't hurt her. She seems like a nice girl. Don't ruin things between you and her."

Jace frowned. "If you think I really like her, then why do you think I'll hurt her?"

"I don't know… It's just…" Alec stared uneasily at Clary. "There's something… weird. I don't know. Nevermind." Alec took a deep breath. "Is she the one?"

Of all the things Alec would have said, Jace least expected that question. He laughed uneasily. "We're way too young to talk about the hypothetical soulmate."

"Your parents met in sophomore year. That's younger than you are now," Alec reminded him.

Jace sighed, shaking his head. He decided to change the subject. "Is Magnus the one?"

"Maybe. I think so." Alec passed the ball back to Jace, who was frozen in shock. He tripped on the ball and landed on the ground.

Jace decided to stay in the dirt. He rolled over and stared up at the pure, blue sky. Seconds later, the top corner of the sky was blocked by Alec's ginormous head, which was looking worriedly down at him.

"Is he okay?" Jace heard Clary's distant voice travel across the field.

"He's just being a melodramatic baby," Alec yelled back. Jace could barely hear Clary's laugh.

"I can't believe you two are teaming up on me. I'm injured," Jace groaned.

Alec snorted. "Please, the only thing injured is your pride." He offered Jace his arm, which Jace took.

"Hey Alec," Clary yelled across the field. "Your phone's ringing."

"That's probably Magnus," Alec said, checking his watch. "It's almost time for our date. I'm gonna go take a shower. It was good practicing with you, though." Alec raced off towards the bleachers, leaving Jace to walk behind him. By the time he got to the bleachers, Alec had disappeared into the locker room, probably to shower. Jace decided to sit on the bleachers and talk to Clary for a while, partially because he didn't want to hear Alec's conversation with Magnus, and partially because he simply wanted to talk to Clary.

However, before Jace could open his mouth, Clary burst into giggles. "I can't believe you were going to jump off of a roof, just to impress Helen Blackthorn. You didn't tell me that was how you met. I thought you guys met through Aline or at Taki's."

"Yeah, well I guess I thought that it would be better if I kept that part a secret," Jace grumbled as he took a seat next to her.

"You're lucky you landed in the pool, you know."

"Don't worry, Alec reminds me about that every single time I date a new girl." Jace thought that he saw Clary stiffen in the corner of his eye, but it was probably his mind playing tricks on him. "I'm going to go shower now. Are you cold or anything? Hungry? Need anything?"

Clary grinned up at him. "Nah, but it's sweet that you're worried."

Jace rolled his eyes at her. "It isn't if you take in the fact that Alec is talking to Magnus right now. If you haven't witnessed their phone calls before, I'd advise you to run." He grinned back at her.

He didn't realize how close they were in that moment, but it was a lot closer than he had anticipated. Their knees touched, and he could see the darker flecks in Clary's green eyes. They were enchanting; there was no other way to describe them. He thought that she might've leaned in a little bit, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to take the risk. But when a strand of her hair fell from her shoulder, he thought, _what the crap._ He leaned in slowly, inch by inch. Their noses were two inches apart when Clary pulled away. Her cheeks were scarlet (Jace knew she'd blame it on the wind) and she bent down, and picked up Jace's towel. Jace half-heartedly hoped that she'd ask to join his shower, but he knew that wasn't Clary's intention. She smacked him in the stomach (none too lightly, he might add) with the towel. "Go shower," she said, staring at her feet. "You stink."

Jace decided that it was better for everyone if he didn't freak out and ask about what had just happened. He walked down the bleachers, turned, and saluted Clary (who laughed and saluted back).

…

After Jace was done with his shower, Alec had left with Magnus and Jace was left with his duffel bag and the soccer ball. He juggled it as he walked out of the locker rooms and onto the field, where Clary was still on the bleachers. "Hey," he called out as he let the ball fall to the ground. He dribbled it as he ran towards her. "I thought you would've gone home."

"I was just finishing the sketch," Clary explained. She looked enviously at Jace, who had started juggling the ball again. "I never understood how people did that," she sighed.

"It takes a lot of practice and control, actually."

"Are you admitting that you're a control freak?" Clary teased.

Jace rolled his eyes at her, but grinned. "Do you want to try?" Clary seemed hesitant, but Jace ignored that. "Come on, I'll show you."

He positioned himself next to Clary. "Usually when you kick the ball, it travels from your body because of the way you kick. When you juggle, your main objective is to keep the ball next to your body. Using your feet is probably the most effective way to do it, but you need to make sure you're kicking the ball towards you by curling your toes up, okay?"

Jace watched as Clary tried. Even when she was frustrated, she was beautiful. With Clary, beautiful wasn't about how she looked. It was a state of being. Clary was Clary; therefore she was beautiful. Jace didn't think he'd ever forget the way her hair shone in the sun, or the way she bit her bottom lip when she concentrated. If he was honest with himself, he was looking at her way more than he needed to.

When she finally hit the ball three times in a row, her smile was radiant. She whooped with joy and launched herself at him. It was odd; most people didn't give Jace hugs, and when Clary hugged him, he felt… tingly inside. He could feel her laughs on his ear. She had just begun to sweat a little bit, but the way the sun reflected off of her made her look like she was glowing. Jace almost wished that they could stay in that moment of tiny victories forever.

Unfortunately, Clary's phone chose to ring at that exact moment. She scrambled over to her bag and searched for her phone. "Hey Simon," she said, catching her breath. Her expression grew panicked. "Oh, really? Well, I'll be back in twenty minutes. I was just out doing… something."

"I'm something!" Jace yelled.

Clary glared at Jace and threw her eraser at him. Jace caught it, laughing. "No, I'm not _having sex,_ I'm at school." She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not having sex _at school_. Who do you think I am?" Clary took a seat on the bleachers, waving her hands animatedly. "Simon! He was just joking, okay? Besides, Izzy's brother was here. They were just playing soccer and I was just watching. It's not a big deal, okay? Nothing happened. I'll see you in twenty minutes." She hung up the call with him while glaring at Jace.

"Seriously? You didn't help my case at all."

He handed her the eraser. "Where are you going?"

Clary shoved all of her things into her bag. "Simon showed up at my house after his date. He was very surprised when he learned that I wasn't home. By the way, thanks for that comment there." She shot him a dirty look, but as she pulled the bag onto her shoulder, it melted into a grin. "Anyways, I've got to go. See you on Monday!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"Bye!" Jace called after her, checking his phone for the time. _4:08._ Apparently he had spent half an hour teaching Clary how to juggle, even though it had felt like ten minutes. Just then, his phone dinged. He looked down and saw a text from Alec.

Alec: _How was hanging out w/ the GF? Remember 2 invite me to the wedding…_

Jace: _Not gonna marry her. We're too young to talk about that. :P_

Alec: _We'll c. Just cuz u dk ur in love doesn't mean we can't c it_

Jace: _I'm rolling my eyes Alec. Can you feel me rolling my eyes? Also learn how to text like a proper effing human being._

Jace threw his phone in his duffel and slung it onto his shoulder. But maybe Alec was kind of right. Even as Jace walked to his car, the only thing he could think about was Clary – the triumphant look on her face, the way the sun hit her hair, her smile, her art. Just Clary, and how he felt a thousand times happier when she was around. Not just happier, but that indescribable feeling that made him want to smile and never stop smiling.

Maybe that was what love was.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was the chapter this week! What did you guys think? Were the Alec parts believable? Should I try to incorporate Magnus into the story somehow? Do you have any date ideas or headcanons you'd like to see me write?**

 **Hopefully it was okay. I feel like I might be getting worse, although hopefully that isn't the case.**

 **I'll be uploading another chapter sometime soon, since this chapter was supposed to go up last week. Let's hope the next one is actually on time. (Sorry for uploading this late! I'm really kicking myself here... I feel terrible for uploading it five days late. :( Please forgive me...)**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This is the last catch-up chapter, so after this week, posting will go back to normal (one chapter every week).**

* * *

"Jon! I was going to eat that," Clary frowned.

Jonathan was back for the weekend, and he was being extremely annoying, per usual. She'd stumbled downstairs to smell the scent of waffles, which her mother had made to celebrate Jon coming home. When she turned her back for _two freaking seconds_ to an apple, she sat down to find that her dear, loving older brother had devoured all of her food. He grinned up at her like a Cheshire cat. "So? Mom made them in my honor, so they really are mine if you think about it."

Clary groaned. "Your logic is seriously flawed. Besides," she sighed, checking her phone, "I need to leave in ten minutes."

"Why?" Jon frowned. "It's only 10 AM. I'm surprised you're up."

Clary froze. There really was no way to tell Jon that she was going to school for Jace's soccer game. She couldn't lie and say that she wanted to meet up with friends; he'd just ask to tag along. And it wouldn't make sense for her to go to a game, since she had never been interested in them when Jon was on the team. She'd always been bad at lying, and she cursed herself for it. "I'm, um… I'm going to someone's house for an art thing," she declared finally. "Yeah, an art thing. It's a school project, and it's due on Monday."

Jon raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Who's house are you going to? Can I come along?"

"It's just some random girl, and you can't come along because… It's a school project! You'll be annoying us."

Jon laughed. "C'mon, Clary. We both know you're crap at lying. Where are you going, and why won't you tell me?"

"I'm… I'm-going-to-a-soccer-game-kay-love-you-bye!" She blurted out, grabbing her keys and running to the door.

It was pointless. Jon, who had always been athletic, darted from his chair and easily hooked his arms under Clary's armpits, preventing her from escaping. "Why're you going to a soccer game? If I remember correctly, you avoided those things like they were the plague," he commented dryly. "Even though I, your big brother, was the star player of the team."

"Oh please, you weren't _that_ good," Clary muttered darkly.

"Don't try to change the subject," Jon warned. "Why are you going to a soccer game?"

"My friends are going," she explained reluctantly. "My friend, Maia, has a boyfriend who's on the team."

"So you'd go to a game for your friend's boyfriend, but not for your brother? Gee, that makes sense," Jon commented sarcastically.

"Fine!" Clary said exasperatedly. "I'm dating someone on the team."

"You have a boyfriend?" Jon's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "When were you going to tell me? Who is it? Is it Simon? It's Simon, isn't it?" Jon frowned in confusion. "Wait, Simon made the team?"

"No, you idiot. I'm not dating Simon, I'm dating Jace. I don't know if you'd remember him, but…"

Jon's face grew dark. "You're dating Jace Herondale?"

 _Oh crap. He thinks I'm one of Jace's flings._ "Now, I know what you're thinking," Clary said cautiously. "But it's different. It's not a fling, like he's had before –"

Jon cut her off. "That's what they all say." He yanked the front door open. "C'mon, I'm going to the school with you. I think it's time to have a chat with my sister's boyfriend, don't you?" Jonathan smiled evilly.

"And I didn't even get to eat breakfast," Clary sighed glumly.

…

"You know, you're probably as tall as I was in sixth grade," Jon mused in the car. "How does it feel to be as tall as a sixth grader for the rest of your life?"

"Shut up or I'll bury you in your sleep. If you want to know what it's like to be in a real-life coffin simulator, then keep on going."

"Aw, you're so cute when you're angry."

Clary scowled as she pulled into the school parking lot. "You're so irritating when you breathe. Maybe you could stop breathing. It'd make you way more attractive."

Jon laughed as he got out of the car. "In your dreams, Clary."

"Clary!" She turned around to see Maia and Izzy waiting for her. "Hurry," Maia called. "Their game starts in two minutes, and we need to get to the field."

"Hey," Jon grinned at Maia. "I'm Jonathan, Clary's older brother." He winked at both of them, which made Clary sick to her stomach.

"I know," Maia said, smiling. "I'm Maia. We've met." She turned and led their little group to the field. Jonathan looked bewildered, but he sidled over to Izzy.

"Hey," he whispered into her ear, snaking his arm around her waist. "Long time no see."

Izzy laughed as she twirled out of his arm and danced out of his reach. "Long time no see, indeed," she said amiably, smiling politely at him. She turned her neck and spotted a figure waving at them, her eyes brightening. "Excuse me, I think I see Simon." With that, she ran towards him in her seven-inch heels. Clary could barely see over Maia's shoulder, where Izzy threw her arms around Simon's neck and kiss him passionately. She wished Maia was taller.

"What the f– Clary, what the heck is going on?" Jon looked confusedly down at his little sister.

She smiled sweetly up at him. "I told you, you're more attractive when you're not breathing."

They arrived at the field just as the soccer game started. Simon, who had saved their seats, was sitting there with his hair slightly messier than usual. Izzy, who was sitting next to him, was reapplying her lipstick. Jon stared at them, befuddled, and stumbled on his loose shoelaces before taking a seat next to Clary.

For the next 90 minutes, Clary stayed in a very uncomfortable seat squished between her friend and her brother while watching sweaty teenage boys chasing and kicking a tiny ball across the field. (And she wondered why she always avoided these things.) She didn't really get the rule of the games, and everyone else was too tense to explain it to her. (Except for Simon and Jonathan, since Simon was secretly reading a comic on his phone and Jonathan was flirting with the head cheerleader.) Clary sighed, wishing that she'd brought her sketchbook. To be honest, she wouldn't be here if it weren't for Jace. He said that it would've looked bad if his girlfriend didn't go to his game, especially the first game of the season. So he bullied her into going, _and_ leaving her sketchbook at home. All she had was her phone, which was running out of battery. There was nothing for her to do except watch the game.

After a while, she thought she got the gist of the game. You tried to get the ball into the other team's goal while trying to stop them from getting the ball into your goal, and if you cross the outside lines, the other team gets to try and kick the ball into the goal with fewer people in the way.

Bored, she started watching Jace. Even though she didn't really understand the game or its strategies, she could still appreciate Jace and how good he was at soccer. He was clearly the fastest player, which Clary assumed was something you wanted in soccer. And she could see why all the girls fell for him… Clary had never thought muscular people were attractive, especially not overly muscular people or the douchebags who posted mirror selfies of their abs on Instagram. But watching Jace… Clary understood why girls liked muscular guys. And Jace's face didn't hurt, either. His hair was almost as gold as his eyes, and the only flaw in his face was his chipped tooth, which Clary found endearing. Clary found herself grudgingly admitting that Jace was kind of… hot. Even though she hadn't been bothered by the jealous girls who glared at her before, she found herself feeling awkward by their envious gazes. She of all people knew that she wasn't as attractive as Jace, and that he was – in some ways – "out of her league," but it hadn't bothered her before. After all, they were in a fake relationship, and why should Clary be bothered by what other people thought of their fake relationship. Now, if the relationship were real…

Clary stopped herself before she could go on. Had she really almost wished that she were in an actual relationship with Jace Herondale? Sure, the guy was hot enough to be a supermodel, and sure, he was charming and sweet, but Jace had never really been Clary's type. But… he was _Jace._ He was arrogant and… Clary really couldn't think of any other faults. Even if Jace had been arrogant before she'd known him (which she knew he was, from what she'd seen in the halls), recently, he'd toned down the arrogance. There really was no solid reason as to why she wouldn't like him.

Sighing, Clary resolved to think about the matter some other time. Feelings were too complicated for a soccer game.

…

In the end, the Alicante Falcons ended up winning. Everyone whooped and cheered excitedly. Maia stood up and all but ran to Jordan (who was the goalie) to congratulate him. Clary supposed she should follow, as her "boyfriend" was the team's striker. She painted a smile onto her face and ran with Maia to their respective boyfriends. Clary catapulted herself into Jace's arms. She did feel happy for him, just not as much as she supposed a girlfriend would. "Good job," she said, her voice muffled by Jace's chest. Jace laughed as he picked Clary up and swung her around, her legs flying out underneath her, causing her to squeal. "Put me down!"

Jace chuckled and set her down gently on the ground.

"Aren't you two lovebirds adorable?" They turned around to see Jon standing there. Clary didn't realize that he'd followed her to the field. "So, Jace. You're dating my sister, are you?" Jon spat the words out as if they were poisonous. His dark eyes were dark pits of fury, and he looked like he was prepared to get into a fight with Jace.

Jace took a precautionary step back. "Jon, let me explain –"

"You know, usually Clary's a great judge of character. Then again, you're the guy who can screw over any girl. But if you think you can hurt my sister, you're wrong."

"Jon –" Clary started.

"No, Clary. Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. You'll say that things are different between you and that he 'actually cares for you' and 'you're not just another girl to him,' but they're lies. I seriously doubt he's capable of those emotions. You want to know his record, Clary? He's gone through three girls in the same week. The soccer team used to congratulate him. Don't be gullible and believe in his lies."

"Jon!" Jace shouted. "Listen to me, man. It is different."

"Oh please, Jace. We all know that you're going to hurt my baby sister, and I'll kill you when you do it."

Jace sighed. "I'm not going to hurt Clary. Seriously, why does everyone say that?"

"Besides," Clary muttered. "I can kill him myself." Jace grinned down at her fondly.

"I swear, Herondale. If you think you can have a fling with my sister and get away with it, think again." Jon glared at Jace murderously. Clary moved to hold her brother back, afraid that he'd start punching Jace before she could explain or make up an adequate excuse.

"We've been together for a month," Jace interrupted, pulling Clary back to his side and snaking his arm around her waist. "Not on-and-off. We've been together properly for a month. Ask Izzy if you want confirmation."

Just like that, all of Jon's rage turned into surprise. His mouth opened, but his voice didn't let any words out. "I – uh – I…" he stuttered. Finally, Jon closed his mouth and walked back towards the bleachers, where Izzy and Simon were making out.

"What was that about?" Clary asked, still being held by Jace. She relaxed into his arms, partially because a real girlfriend would, and partially because she wanted to.

"Nothing much. I've just never been in a relationship with a girl for this long. It's kind of a big deal, especially for the boys on the soccer team with me who've seen me go through girls faster than anyone else."

Clary grinned at him, tilting her head so she could see his unreadable gold eyes. "I guess I'm just that special, then," she joked. She pushed herself away from him, worried about how much she wanted to stay in his embrace. She hoped he hadn't noticed anything different in her behavior. Was Clary acting weirdly? She didn't know, but she was starting to feel… different. Before, hugging Jace was kind of like hugging Simon, except Jace was more muscular. Now, when she hugged Jace, she felt a tinge of _something_ , something she couldn't identify. It was weird and strange and Clary didn't want to deal with it. Maybe the something had been there all along; she just blocked it out and ignored it, because it was irrelevant.

Stopping herself from dwelling on her feelings, she smiled at Jace. "I'm going to go find Jon and pretend to be a pathetic teenager who's in love. Go take a shower," she said, crinkling her nose. "You smell."

She laughed at his expression, running off into the crowd. What she didn't know was that Jace sighed, wishing that she were still in his arms. He murmured a reply to her previous statement: "I guess you are that special."

…

Simon was panicking. It wasn't really a big deal, since he panicked a lot. He wasn't really good in high-stress situations. But this time was different. It had all started with Jon. Oh, Jon. Right now, Simon wished that he had never existed. "So," he had asked, "how do you know Jon?" Big mistake.

Izzy shrugged her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, we dated for a bit."

"Really?" Simon thought he heard his voice squeak a little bit, but he couldn't be sure. He hoped Izzy hadn't heard the squeak.

"Yeah. It's not really a big deal. I've dated tons of guys." Of course, Simon had known this before, but he'd shoved into the dark recesses of his mind, because if he thought about it, he had mini-panic attacks.

Of course, Jon just had to walk past at that very moment and wink at Izzy. Izzy, in turn, rolled her eyes. Simon wasn't sure if he was making it up, but Izzy didn't roll her eyes like she was disgusted by him. It was more of a… flirtatious wink? Simon started quietly hyperventilating. Did Izzy want to break up? Simon was well aware that Jon was more attractive than he was. After all, pretty much every male in the universe was more attractive than he was. Why did he even think that Izzy would want to date him? She was going to dump him. _Oh no, oh no, oh no…_

"Simon?" Izzy looked concernedly at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Simon hoped he didn't sound as panicked as he felt. "Just, um… Weird question. Why are you… dating me?"

Izzy looked surprised and a little confused. "Because I like you, Simon. You think that'd be fairly obvious."

"Yeah… but why? Like, I'm not like Jon

, I'm not athletic, I'm just a random nerd. You, on the other hand, are gorgeous. You're on the track team, you're smart, you're pretty much perfect. And I'm just," he paused, gesturing at himself, "this. Average. Mediocre."

"Oh, Simon," Izzy sighed. _This is it,_ he thought. _She's going to break up with me._ "Honestly, sometimes your insecurity is kind of cute, but you're being an idiot right now. I like you because you're _you_. Sure, you're nerdy, but you're nice and you think about me as a human being, which no other guy has done before – besides Alec, Max, and Jace. But I'm not about to date Alec or Max, since they're my effing brothers, and Jace is practically my brother, so nope." She sighed, slipping her hand into his and resting her head on his shoulder. "You're pretty much the first guy who's looked at me and seen someone who's a human with emotions. Not some vending machine where you put pretty words and charm into the slot and get sex out."

"Oh." Simon was considerably calmer than he was at the beginning of the conversation. "But…"

Izzy grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "No. Can't you get it into your thick skull, Lewis? You. No one else." And with that she kissed him.

Simon felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his chest. Everything around him dissolved from his mind: the crowds, the jocks who wondered why Isabelle Lightwood chose a nerd, everyone and everything. In that moment, Izzy was the only other person in the universe.

When they broke apart, he stared into her dark brown eyes. There was only one thought in his head, and he wasn't sure if he hold it in anymore. "I love you," he blurted out.

Izzy looked surprised, but her surprise quickly melted into a grin. "I know."

 _Did she just…_ "Okay, that makes me love you so much more right now."

Izzy laughed as she pulled him into another kiss. When they broke apart once more, she stared at him, still smiling. "I love you, Simon," she said, a little breathless. "I mean it. You're the only one. No one else."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! Sizzy!**

 **To be honest, they're my OTP. Which reminds me: would you guys be interested in reading a Sizzy fic, or are you guys all hardcore Clace shippers? I'm trying to plan out what I should write after I finish this fic. I only have 5 more chapters to go, if I don't add any extra chapters (which I might).**

 **If you guys have any prompts for a one-shot or anything you'd like me to write, feel free to send me a DM or include it in a review. :)**

 **Happy Valentine's Day! Are you guys spending Valentine's with anyone special? ;) Or do you guys hate the holiday, like I do? Tell me in a review!**

 **Also, I'm thinking about doing a Valentine's Day date chapter next week, so if you have any date ideas for Clace, leave them in a review. :D I'll give a shoutout if I use anyone's idea.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Shoutout to BrunetteAngel12, who helped me come up with the idea for the Clace date :)**

* * *

Jace pulled up in front of Clary's house, where she was waiting impatiently with her mother by her side. "See, mom? He's here. You can stop worrying now. He's not a drug dealer or a serial killer. I'll be fine." Clary tried to get into the car, but her mother pulled her back. _Oh no._

"So, you're Jace?" her mother asked, smiling down at Jace, who was still in the car. "I've heard a lot about you," she winked.

Jace put on a charming smile. "Nothing bad, I hope."

"Goodness gracious," Clary mumbled behind her mother, worrying about what her mother might do to embarrass her. It seemed to be Jocelyn Fray's favorite thing to do.

Her mother ignored her. "So, what're you two doing tonight?" _Crap._

He winked at the two Fray women. "It's a surprise." _Crap on a cracker. That doesn't help._

"Someone kill me," Clary sighed. Her mother shot her a dirty look.

"Well, bring Clary home before ten. And if you kids decide to do anything, just remember to be safe and use protection, okay?"

"Mom!" Clary exclaimed, the blood in her body shooting towards her face. She couldn't see her reflection, but she could tell her cheeks were red even without a mirror.

Jace laughed. "Don't worry, Mrs. Fray. Your daughter is in safe hands."

"Alright then," Jocelyn Fray said, her eyes twinkling. "But if you get my daughter pregnant –"

"Okay, mom. I think you've done enough here. Jace heard you, I heard you, the whole neighborhood heard you…" _I'm going to die of embarrassment right here, right now._

"Fine, fine. I'll go back inside and cry about how my baby grew up so quickly," Jocelyn sighed dramatically, finally heading back towards the house.

Clary slipped into Jace's car and covered her face with her hands. "I am so mortified," she groaned, her voice muffled by her palms.

He chuckled as he started the engine. "That? That wasn't _that_ bad. One time, I was supposed to go to the beach with this girl. She wore a trench coat with her bikini under it – without a cover-up – and her dad found out. He grounded her and threatened to shoot me."

"Not helping here," Clary sighed, finally sitting up in her chair. Tying up her hair into a messy bun, she glanced over at Jace. "So where _are_ we going?"

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Oh really?" Clary asked dryly. "Because if I remember correctly, this is the way to your house."

Jace muttered something underneath his breath. "Fine, it's my house. But at least it isn't the Lightwood house. You really don't want to be there right now."

"I don't really want to know."

"Izzy's room is full of scented candles. She actually cleaned up, for once in her life."

"Oh my dear goodness. Do not go on."

"Why? If I'm suffering, shouldn't you suffer too?"

"Or you can decrease the amount of suffering in the world by keeping it to yourself."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Clary gave him a disapproving look. "Besides, don't think that I didn't notice your change of subject."

"What do you mean?"

She grinned at him. "Are you just taking me back to your place because you couldn't get reservations anywhere else?"

"No," Jace said, wounded. "I knew you prefer staying at home, so I figured the house would be better than a crowded restaurant."

"But also because you couldn't get reservations anywhere."

Jace sighed, defeated. "But also because I couldn't get reservations," he admitted.

Clary laughed. "It's okay," she said. "I understand. It's Valentine's Day. Besides, it's not like we're a real couple." A pang ran through her chest, but it might've been the cold leftovers she'd had for breakfast.

"Still, I guess this proves that I'm a terrible fake boyfriend."

"But being a terrible fake boyfriend doesn't really matter. I'll probably be your only fake girlfriend. So who cares? Besides," she added, "this is a pretty good friend date."

"Friend date?"

"You know, when you hang out with your friend and you take them out on a date but you're friends and you're kind of poking fun at romance?"

Jace snorted. "That just sounds like hanging out with your friends."

"I guess so," Clary sighed, tracing random shapes on the car window. "But it was fun, and it let me and Simon forget about our perpetual singleness for a day."

"Well, I assure you Simon is not perpetually single. In fact, I can confirm that after tonight, he'll be a new man," Jace commented dryly.

"I really didn't need to… yeah, nope." Clary shook her head vigorously, as if Jace's words would fall out of her mind and let her live in blissful ignorance once more.

He chuckled as he pulled into his driveway. He turned to Clary, a smirk on his face. "Wait, don't get out of your seat yet." Confused, Clary obeyed and stayed in the car. _Did he forget to clean up? Unlikely, since Jace is abnormally clean._ She watched as Jace walked around the car to her door and laughed as he opened it for her, reaching a hand out for her to hold as she got out of the car.

"You know, I could've gotten out of a car by myself."

Jace's eyes had an unfamiliar twinkle in them, one Clary couldn't really decipher. "But it's more romantic this way, and I'm trying to be a better fake boyfriend. And aren't friend dates about fake romance?"

"I suppose you're right," she said thoughtfully as she followed him into his house. It was dark inside, and the only source of light was the dying rays of sun that made it past the curtains.

"Wait here," Jace said again, and she briefly wondered if she was in the middle of a horror movie. Was there a serial killer lurking in the corners of the room?

Jace came back before her mind could wander any further. His hands were behind his back, which did make Clary panic a bit. What if he _was_ a serial killer? What if he was hiding a giant blade behind his back? But her fears quickly evaporated when Jace revealed two Hershey bars and a single rose. He smiled sheepishly at her. "I didn't know which you preferred, so I got both," he explained.

Clary was speechless as she took the chocolate and the roses from him. "You – you didn't have to," she stammered, staring at the rose.

"I know," Jace said. "But I've actually never really spent Valentine's Day with anyone," he said, scratching the back of his head. (Clary couldn't help but notice that his shirt rode up.) "I've spent it with family and stuff. Usually I babysit Max."

"What's Max doing today?" Clary asked curiously. "You know, I've never really met him."

Jace smiled fondly. "He has a very social life for a fourth grader. He's at a birthday party today. He's very excited about it, actually. He's got a crush on the girl who's celebrating her birthday. I think you'd like him," he added as an afterthought. "He's kind of nerdy. He's always begging me to take him to buy new comics."

His smile was infectious. She grinned up at him. "I think I would."

"Speaking of nerds, I've got something else for you." Clary stuck her tongue out at him, but looked at him curiously. He handed her a bag, which was a lot heavier than it looked. She peered inside and found two boxes, which turned out to be a box of paints and a Doctor Who TARDIS mug. Clary set them carefully back into the bag, set it on the floor, and threw her arms around Jace.

"Thank you," she said into his shirt. "I love it. You know, you really didn't have to get me anything…" she started, pulling away from him.

"I know," he said. He looked slightly startled, as if he hadn't expected Clary to hug him. "But there isn't anything in the Valentine's Day rulebook about people in fake relationships. So I decided that I was better safe than sorry. Besides, it's good to do something nice once in a while, isn't it? So don't worry about it. Also, I went to get gifts with Jordan, so it would've looked weird if I hadn't gotten anything. And Simon had already given me a list of potential gifts, so…"

Clary laughed. "All Izzy did was tell me to get lingerie."

He smirked at her, causing her heart to flutter. _So this is the infamous Herondale charm. The one that can make any girl fall to her knees._ Jace moved closer to her, his hands holding onto her waist. He leaned down, and she could feel his breath on her ear. "I definitely wouldn't say no to that," he whispered.

She placed her hands on his chest, pushing him away. "Nice try," she laughed. She hoped Jace didn't notice her catching her breath or the shakiness in her voice. She turned away from Jace, reaching for the light switch and hiding her blush. When she thought the worst of it had faded, she turned back to Jace (who's pupils looked a little more dilated than normal.)

"Do you have a vase I could put this in?" Clary asked Jace, motioning to her flower. As he went off to go search for a vase, she gave herself a little pep talk. _Okay. So apparently Jace is a super sweet guy. That was unexpected. And apparently he likes to flirt a lot. That part was expected, but the part where he was flirting with me was unexpected._ Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she forced herself to calm down. _It probably meant nothing to him, though._

"Clary?" Jace called from the kitchen. She set down her things on the couch, bringing the red rose with her. "The only thing I can find that's vaguely vase-shaped is this old bottle. Is that okay?" he asked her.

"Sure," she shrugged.

He placed the rose inside of the makeshift vase and filled the bottle up with water. Jace placed it on the kitchen counter and checked his watch. _3:32._ "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Kind of, actually. I woke up at ten, so I ate breakfast and skipped lunch."

"You woke up at ten?" Jace looked surprised, which was kind of cute.

"Yeah, I know. It's a bit early. Usually I wake up at two, though."

"I usually wake up at six."

"How?" Clary asked, incredulous. "What do you even do all day?"

Jace shrugged. "Homework. Cook for Max. Exercise."

"Great," Clary groaned. "My fake boyfriend is super productive. Now I look like a mess."

"You are a mess," he said dryly.

"Thanks," Clary said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure. Although not because I woke up in the afternoon, but because I worked out before you came over." Clary rolled her eyes again. "Do you want to eat dinner inside or outside?"

"I don't know. I'm good with whatever." Clary was starting to think that Jace had overdone this Valentine's Day – especially since it was only a friend date.

"Then can you go outside to the back porch and wait for me? I'll bring out the food in a second."

Clary found her way to the back porch and saw that there were two wooden lawn chairs and a matching wooden table. She smiled somewhat wistfully. _Jace would be a fantastic boyfriend in real life. His future wife is very lucky._

He came out a few moments later, carrying two plates. When Clary saw what was on the plates, she almost gasped with joy. "Taki's has takeout?" she asked him.

"Not officially," Jace said, smiling. "But Helen did me a favor, since it's Valentine's Day and all." He set the plates down on the table, and Clary's mouth watered. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you coconut pancakes, since that's what you got last time."

"That's perfect," she said, beaming at him and grabbing her plate. "But how did you remember my order?"

"Oh, um… Girls usually get salads when I take them out, so I remembered since you're the first girl who hasn't gotten rabbit food."

Clary shrugged. "I love food too much to eat salads. Besides, I don't see the point in being supermodel-skinny if you're not actually a supermodel. Actually, I don't see the point in being supermodel skinny if you weren't born supermodel skinny. Sorry," Clary sighed. "You probably didn't want to hear me rant about the fashion industry."

"It's okay," Jace laughed. "I've heard Izzy rant about it a thousand times. Although, ironically, she wanted to be a supermodel when she was five."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She used to put on fashion shows for our parents and strut around the house like a flamingo."

A few hours passed with them trading embarrassing stories about Jon, Izzy, and Simon. When the sun started to set, Jace got a blanket and set it on top of the grass while Clary pulled out her sketchbook and her new paints. Jace lay down on the blanket with his knees bent, and Clary leaned against his knees like they were the back of a chair. She started painting the sunset as they talked. When she finished with her artwork, she set it aside to let it dry, just as the sun finished its journey across the sky.

She lay down next to him and watched the last rays of sunshine disappear. She turned to him, and saw the gold sunset reflected in his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

She punched him lightly in the arm. "Can I ask you something else?"

"What?"

"What are you thinking right now?"

He stared up towards the sky. "I was thinking about how today was a good day." He grinned at her. "You're a really good friend date, although I assume your experience in friend dating comes from your permanent state of single-ness."

Clary hit him again as he chuckled lowly. "You're such a jerk."

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

"Right now, I'm thinking about how I should murder you."

"Besides that."

She sighed heavily. "I'm just wondering about how everyone else is spending Valentine's Day. Not Simon or Izzy," she added quickly. "But I'm wondering if anyone's spending Valentine's Day like this. Not by having sex, but doing something nice and talking, which I personally think is better."

"I guess I did my job as your fake boyfriend pretty well then."

"I guess you did."

They stayed silent for a while, and Clary wondered if Jace had fallen asleep. She looked at him, and saw his eyes wide open, staring at the stars that were starting to appear. He was beautiful, she realized. Not beautiful like Izzy was beautiful, but he was beautiful like an angel was beautiful. She felt the heat radiating off of him, and suddenly she had the urge to hold his hand, to curl into him, to touch him in the most innocent way. She turned her head away, hoping that would lessen the urge, but it didn't. _What's happening to me?_ she wondered. She inched her arm closer to his, so that their hands were barely touching, but not intertwined like she had wanted. _We're not actually dating,_ she reminded herself. _That would be weird._

She glanced at Jace again, and was only barely able to stop the words from escaping her mouth. She uttered them in her head, because she knew that was the only place where they'd be allowed to live. The words filled her a mixture of happiness and dread.

 _Jace? I think I'm falling for you._

 _Crap._

 _I'm falling for you._

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 **A/N: Sorry for posting late! Bad habit :(**

 **But did you guys like it? Was it good? Leave a review! I'm kind of unsure of this chapter...**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I don't own any lyrics or quotes used in this chapter.**

 **And sorry for uploading so late... (This chapter should have been uploaded last week...)**

* * *

Izzy grabbed Clary's arm before Art started. She looked kind of panicked, like a doe caught in the headlights. "Clary, I need to talk to you."

"Um… Okay?" Clary was confused as to why Izzy seemed so anxious, and as to why she wouldn't just spit it out.

"Not here. Afterschool. Meet me at my house ASAP." Izzy turned back towards her painting, fiddling with her paintbrush.

Clary looked at Izzy, concerned. She seemed very worried, and Clary wasn't sure what to do. But Izzy stayed silent, so Clary did too.

….

Clary stood on the Lightwood's porch and pressed the doorbell.

"Can you get it?" she heard Izzy yell from upstairs. "It's just Clary."

"I could've been an axe murderer," she muttered to herself as the door swung open and revealed a sweaty, shirtless Jace. _Crap,_ she thought to herself. It had been difficult enough to keep her eyes off of him before she realized her feelings for him, but now that she knew, it was so much harder…

"Hey," he greeted her. "Izzy's upstairs."

Clary kept her head down, hoping that her hair would hide her blushing cheeks. "Okay," she managed to squeak out as she tried to slip past Jace.

Jace caught her by the arm as she tried to escape, causing a flutter in her chest. "I forgot to mention," he said, not noticing her awkwardness, "that you left your painting at my house the other day."

"Oh." Clary had completely forgotten about the painting, since all she'd been thinking was _Holy crap. I'm falling for my fake boyfriend._

"I have it upstairs," Jace added. "I can go get it if you want me to."

One glance up at him told her that he was smiled shyly up at him. "No, it's okay. Keep it." It wasn't even that good of a painting, anyway.

Jace looked surprised. "Really?"

"Why not?" Clary asked him.

"Thanks." He smiled at her, and her heart stopped.

She stood there awkwardly for a few more moments, staring into Jace's eyes before she remembered that Izzy was upstairs, waiting for her. "I, um… I should go," she blurted out before she darted up the stairs and found her way to Izzy's bedroom. She caught her breath before stepping inside.

"So what's up?" Clary asked, dropping her backpack onto the floor.

Izzy had been acting weird all day, and she hadn't talked to Clary at all, except for when she'd anxiously asked Clary if she'd drop by the Lightwood's afterschool. She was lying on her bed, staring at her ceiling. "I think I'm in love," Isabelle whispered.

Clary was confused. "That's great," she said, taking a seat on the bed. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know," Izzy groaned, rolling over and hugging her pillow. "Emotions are confusing," she muttered into the pillow.

 _You can say that again,_ Clary thought. "What's the problem?" She asked Izzy.

"I don't know. It's just… When I'm with Simon –"

Clary cut her off. "If you're going to tell me about your sex life with my best friend, I'm going to run away screaming. So don't."

Izzy offered her a weak smile. "I won't. Don't worry." She continued on. "But when I'm with Simon – not sexually, just when we're together – it's like… it's kind of like I'm floating. Sometimes I catch myself smiling, even though there's no reason for me to smile, except for the fact that Simon's next to me." Izzy sat up suddenly and looked Clary in the eyes. "You know he told me he loved me?" Clary knew, of course. Simon had come over that night with a crazed look in his eyes and told her all about how he'd told Izzy that he loved her, and how she'd responded perfectly. They spent the rest of the night celebrating by rewatching _Empire Strikes Back_. She nodded, a small smile on her face.

Izzy sighed. "So he told you?"

Clary shrugged. "Well… yeah. I mean, we're best friends, so he told me as soon as possible. Besides, he's always dreamed of having someone say 'I know' to him."

"Did he say anything about me, though?" Izzy asked hopefully.

"What do you mean?"

Izzy played with the corner of her comforter. "Well, I guess I was just hoping if he mentioned anything about his feelings for me…" she said quietly.

Clary rolled her eyes. "If _Simon_ started talking about that, I'd probably hit him over the head. Besides, he was just relieved that you said you loved him. And super excited, since you fulfilled his fanboy dream."

Izzy groaned, flopping back onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked.

"I told him that I loved him," Izzy sighed, staring at the ceiling. "It's not like I've never said those words to a guy before, but this time, I feel like they mean something. It's not just some stupid schoolgirl crush. I think I actually love him, and that scares the crap out of me, because hearts are breakable. Even though they heal, you're never really who you were before. I've never been in a relationship where I wasn't certain that the guy liked me more than I liked him, if that makes any sense."

Clary lay down next to Izzy on the bed. "Don't worry, you probably still haven't been in a relationship where you like the guy more than he likes you. Knowing Simon, he'd probably propose if he had the guts."

Izzy laughed. "We're a little too young for that, don't you think?"

Clary smiled weakly as her mind took a detour. She began to think about Jace – how she felt lighter around him, how she smiled more around him, how she felt happier around him – weren't these all things Izzy had experienced around Simon? Surely Clary wasn't _in love_ with Jace, not the way Izzy and Simon were in love. Clary hadn't told Jace that she loved him, or that she even liked him more than a fake boyfriend, for that matter. How could she have feelings for Jace that were as strong as Izzy's feelings for Simon? Izzy had been in a relationship with Simon for three months. Clary, on the other hand, had been fake dating Jace for almost two months. There was no way she could like Jace the way Izzy liked Simon. That didn't make sense. The things she felt for Jace… it was just some sort of stupid infatuation that would pass. Wasn't it?

"Clary?" Isabelle's face appeared in the corner of Clary's vision.

"Yeah, totally." Clary had been spacing out for an awfully long period of time, and she hoped that Izzy hadn't said anything too important.

"I didn't say anything," Izzy said tartly. Her amused expression quickly turned into a concerned one. "Are you okay?"

"Everything's perfectly fine," Clary replied, hoping that Isabelle would buy her lie. She doubted it, since Izzy was an incredibly perceptive human being.

"Really?" Izzy arched an eyebrow (which sent a pang of envy through Clary's chest – she would never be able to have eyebrows like that). "Is everything okay between you and Jace? Do I need to call Maia and sharpen my knives?"

"No!" Clary said, a little too quickly. She forced herself to calm down and talk like a regular human. "Everything is fine."

"What's up, then?"

Clary sighed. It wasn't like she could tell Isabelle everything about her and Jace: how they'd started a fake relationship so Simon wouldn't worry about her, how she'd started seeing Jace in a different light, how she was trying to figure out how deep her feelings for Jace were, and how long they'd take to evaporate. How she was worried that they wouldn't evaporate. Of course, she _wanted_ to tell Izzy everything, but it was too complicated and Clary wanted to keep it to herself. So she quickly came up with a lie and hoped that Izzy would buy it.

"I don't know," Clary started. "It's just… I guess it's kind of like Simon's problem –" it really was like Simon's problem, since Clary was essentially basing her entire lie off of Simon's rants "but I just don't see why Jace would want to date me. I mean, I'm just some random art nerd, and he's on the soccer team, and there's no reason for him to look at me, let alone _date_ me. Sometimes I wonder if it's all some elaborate prank," she sighed. "It just doesn't make sense. Besides, what if I end up being one of his flings?"

"Don't worry about it. I mean, Simon and I were like that, but it turns out that I'm in love with Simon – which still feels crazy to say, but in a good way. Simon and I are great, despite a few bumps in the road. But we stayed together, and our relationship ended up stronger than its ever been." Izzy turned over on the bed, propping herself up by the elbows. "Besides, I can guarantee that Jace really likes you. I've practically grown up with the guy, and I've never seen him behave like this with anyone. He's never stayed with anyone for this long; before you, the record was a week." She leaned towards Clary, lowering her voice to a whisper. "And between you and me, I know that he really likes you because he admitted that he liked you before you started dating. _Jace never does that._ He never talks about his relationships. Alec and I have been interrogating him for years, hoping that he'd say _something_ about someone. For a while, we thought he was aromantic or something. But then you came along, and he _actually admitted to liking you_. I don't know how to make you understand how huge it was, but it was ginormous." She smiled. "Don't worry about Jace not liking you. He totally does."

Clary's head was swimming with all the new information. _Jace likes me?_ Part of her felt like she was drowning with how much proof there was of Jace liking her, and part of her felt like flying because of the proof that Jace liked her. "Holy crap," she whispered.

Izzy laughed. "Sorry. I know it's a lot to process, but just know that your boyfriend likes you. A lot."

Clary nodded silently, still trying to handle the amount of information that had been dumped on her. Hopefully, Izzy didn't notice, but Clary was having a mini panic attack. What she really needed to do was to get into her room and behind her easel, which had always been the most comforting place in the world to Clary. She pretended to check the time. "Izzy, thanks for the advice, but my mom is expecting me to bring dinner home today, so I should get back." (Clary wasn't a very good cook, but Izzy didn't know that.)

"Of course," Izzy said, smiling. Clary suspected that Izzy knew exactly what was going on (except for the fake dating part). "Don't worry about it."

Mumbling another apology, Clary picked up her stuff and practically ran from Izzy's room. She hoped that she wouldn't run into Jace again – or maybe she hoped that she _would_ run into him, she wasn't sure anymore – and raced to the front door, running all the way back to her house. Breathless, she unlocked the front door of her house and crept into her room. Luck was on her side, as she hadn't run into Jace _or_ her mother, who was as perceptive as Izzy and would've asked too many questions.

After a few seconds of rummaging through drawers, she found her earphones and randomly selected a song, seating herself behind her easel. Twenty One Pilots' cover of _Can't Help Falling In Love With You_ started playing into her ears, and she let herself get lost in the paints as she thought about Jace and her confusing emotions, forcing herself to slow down and process everything.

 _Wise men say, only fools rush in_

 _But I can't help falling in love with you_

Was she being foolish for falling for Jace? Was she even really falling for Jace? She knew, in the back of her mind, that she really liked Jace, but if she admitted it, could she ever go back to where she started? " _Hearts are breakable,"_ Izzy had said. What if Jace broke her heart, and she never fully recovered?

 _Shall I stay, would it be a sin?_

 _If I can't help falling in love with you_

Would it be wrong for her to like Jace? It wasn't as if a relationship between them would be forbidden or anything. Besides, everyone already thought that they were a couple. But he was a heartbreaker, and Clary didn't want her heart broken.

 _Like a river flows, surely to the sea_

 _Darling so it goes, some things were meant to be_

Izzy had said that Jace liked her back, but what if those feelings had faded? What if he just had a momentary fascination with her, and Izzy thought that it was something more? Sure, some things were meant to be, but was she meant to be with Jace? Clary wasn't sure if she believed in soulmates, but what if Jace wasn't her soulmate? What if a relationship between them failed and left her shattered?

 _Take my hand, take my whole life too_

 _Cause I can't help falling in love with you_

But what if she was wrong? What if everything would be okay? What if Jace made her happy? Would that really be so bad? What was she afraid of? Izzy, who was the most perceptive human she knew, had said that Jace liked her. Didn't she trust Izzy to make good judgments? If Izzy said that Jace liked her, then he must've liked her at some point in his life, right? Maybe he still liked her. She didn't know.

 _Like a river flows, surely to the sea_

 _Darling so it goes, some things were meant to be_

Even if a relationship with him didn't work out, she would be strong enough to pick herself back up again. Besides, she didn't think that Jace was the type of guy who'd lead her on and shatter her heart, just for kicks. He certainly looked like he would, and he definitely could, but after getting to know him, she didn't think he ever would.

 _Take my hand, take my whole life too_

 _Cause I can't help falling in love with you_

A silly image flashed into her head: a life with Jace. She knew that it was stupid; they were in senior year, it was a high school relationship. In the grand scheme of things, she probably wouldn't stay with Jace for very long. Graduation was coming up soon, and they probably wouldn't do long distance or anything. She didn't even know what college she was going to yet, and she had no idea which colleges Jace had applied for. But that fleeting image had put a smile onto her face, and she found herself wanting something like that: a future where she cuddled with Jace while watching _Lord of the Rings_ , where his warm hand was hers to hold as they walked down the cold winter streets, where they talked until midnight because they loved each other, and because they could. A future where she was his, and he was hers. It was a fantasy, but it was beautiful.

 _Cause I can't help falling in love with you_

She glanced at what she was painting, and was shocked to see that it had been Jace's eyes. When had she memorized the exact shape and colour of his eyes? Had she really fallen so hard for Jace? The eyes stared back at her, with the sort of vulnerability that she'd only witnessed a handful of times. She found herself wishing that she would be given more chances to witness it more, and that was when she knew she couldn't hold it in much longer.

She had to tell him.

 _But I can't help falling in love with you._

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 **A/N: There you go! Hoped you guys liked it...  
**

 **Sorry for the wait. I'll upload another chapter sometime soon, just so I can catch up to my one-chapter-a-week schedule. There are only a few more chapters left!**

 **It's my birthday on Sunday, so leave me a birthday review? :)**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not posting earlier! You guys must hate me...**

 **I got a pretty bad case of writer's block, which is why I didn't post anything sooner. I'm sorry. But I'm back!  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The warning bell rung, and Clary was still at her locker. She cursed softly under her breath, rushing towards the English classroom.

Clary was almost late because she hadn't wanted to run into Jace. What would she tell him? What would she say? She didn't want to blurt it out or anything, but she knew that sooner or later, she had to tell him about her feelings. But knowing that filled her with a sense of dread, and she didn't know how she'd act around him.

She finally arrived at the English classroom, two minutes before the bell rung. Clary wondered if she should stay outside for another minute, or go inside the classroom and be on time, or spend two awkward minutes with Jace.

"Hey Clary," someone said behind her. She turned around to see the last person she wanted to see. _I guess two awkward minutes with Jace is what I get, then_ , she thought grimly to herself. _I hope I don't make a fool of myself._

"Hey," she managed to squeak out. Clary knew that she was kind of staring at his grin, but she couldn't really help it. Had he always been this attractive, or was she just imagining it? She was probably imagining it. And his eyes… Her stupid painting hadn't done them justice. They were the perfect balance of feminine and masculine, and…

Jace cleared his throat. "We're going to be late," he said quietly.

"Right." Clary felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. She turned her head away quickly, hoping he wouldn't see. "You have something in your teeth," she added quickly. _Wow, Fray. That was smooth._ Mentally facepalming herself, she ducked into the classroom quickly.

Jace followed her, looking mildly confused at her behavior when he suddenly brightened up and grinned at her. "Hey, do you want to go out next week?"

Her heart stopped beating in her chest. She stared at him, dumfounded. "What?"

"Fake date. Next Saturday, lunch at Taki's. I'll pick you up at noon."

When Clary heard the words "fake date," she felt more disappointed than she should've been. Hoping that she looked convincing, she placed a fake smile onto her face. "Sure."

"Cool," he said, smiling warmly at her. It caused her heart to beat erratically inside of her chest. "I'll see you then."

…

Clary spent the next three periods panicking about her decision. _Why did I say yes? What am I going to wear? Does he know? Can he tell?_ Clary noticed Simon casting worried glances in her direction every so often, but he assumed that it was her Spanish test (which she _should've_ been worrying about).

She was walking to their normal table in the cafeteria, half paying attention, half panicking about her fake date and sitting next to Jace during lunch. Life was much simpler when she hadn't faced her feelings for Jace. Clary sighed, about to sit down in her usual spot when Izzy leapt up and took Clary's tray from her hands, set it down on the table, and dragged her to the girl's bathroom. There was a gleam in Izzy's eyes that made Clary more nervous than she'd originally been. "Izzy –" she started, but Izzy shushed her until they reached the bathroom. _Is this about Jace?_ Clary wondered. _Crap. This is about Jace, isn't it? What do I tell her?_

As soon as Izzy shoved Clary into the bathroom, a stream of words burst from Izzy's mouth. "We need to plan a birthday party. Usually it's just me doing it, but since Jace's friend group has expanded beyond those loser cheerleaders and weird soccer players who hit on me all the time, we can have a nice party without trashing the house. Do you think it should be themed?"

It took Clary a few seconds to regain the ability to speak again. "I – um… Wait, what?"

Izzy looked impatiently at Clary. "Jace's birthday is next Saturday. Didn't he tell you? Anyways, we're planning a surprise birthday party for him. Should it be themed?"

Clary was sure that her shoulders had visibly relaxed. _Thank goodness_ , she sighed mentally. _If this were about Jace, this would've been very complicated._ Her mind quickly returned to the matter at hand. "If it's a surprise party, won't it give too much away when Jace sees you decorating the house to match the theme?"

Izzy shrugged. "When I say 'surprise,' I mean Jace told me not to throw him a party, but I'm insisting on doing it, so he can deal." She sighed. "I wish it were themed. It'd give me an excuse to get Simon a better wardrobe."

"Don't you dare take his fandom T-shirts away from him. He wouldn't be Simon without them." Clary shot a warning glare up at the taller girl.

"I wasn't going to throw those away," Izzy said, rolling her eyes. "His nerdiness is actually kind of endearing. But I _was_ going to get him some better jeans. He could look really cute if he wore better pants and paired them with better jackets. He also really needs to stand up straight."

Clary grinned at her friend. "You two really are smitten, huh?" Her face quickly grew serious. "But if Jace told you not to throw him a party, should you really still throw him a party?"

"If we don't, he'll just mope around, and that's no way to spend your birthday," Izzy said solemnly.

Clary rolled her eyes. She still felt like Jace should be able to spend his birthday in peace and quiet if he wanted to. "When's the party again?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Next Saturday."

Clary's eyebrows shot up. "Saturday? Jace asked me out on that day."

Izzy's eyes became blazing fires. "Jace, you little –" She stopped herself, sighing. "Is the date important?" Izzy asked.

"Not really, why?"

A spark reignited in Izzy's eyes. "Would you be okay with giving him a surprise birthday party instead?"

A wave of relief came over Clary. "Sure," she said, grinning. It was perfect: she wouldn't have to spend alone time with Jace, but she'd still get to be around him in the shadows, where she was comfortable.

Izzy whooped, laughing. "Okay, so I guess that we shouldn't have a theme, even though that means I'll have to find some other excuse to dress Simon better, but I've got this really cute dress, and you _need_ to wear it…"

In the end, they decided on a semi-formal birthday party, which Izzy was happy about since that meant that she could force Simon into nicer clothes. Izzy also came up with this crazy idea where she snuck out of her house by climbing down a tree and ran to Clary's house to prep her for the party, but Clary shot that idea down. The idea of Izzy climbing down a tree was far too frightening (and it meant that Clary would have to wake up at a reasonable hour). Izzy was in charge of decorating everything, and telling everyone. When Clary asked her if Izzy wanted her to do anything, Izzy said, "Just stand there and be gorgeous. I'll take care of everything."

Clary rolled her eyes and checked the time. "Crap," she muttered.

"What's up?" Izzy asked, reapplying her lipstick.

"Lunch ends in fifteen minutes, and I haven't eaten anything yet," Clary grumbled.

Izzy finished reapplying her lipstick and sighed, taking the lead and marching out of the bathroom. "Let's eat, then."

Clary had to jog to catch up to Izzy. Even though the other girl was in heels, she was good at walking in them, and her legs were way longer than Clary's. A question suddenly popped into her head. "Hey, what should I get Jace for his birthday?"

"Nothing," Izzy said. "He's against birthday parties, for some reason, but he's _really_ against presents. If you get him anything, get him something small."

"Why's he against presents?"

"I think it's partially because he doesn't know what to do when he receives a present, but also partially because he lives in our house. Like, he doesn't want to take up storage space, and he doesn't really want to use his own house, either." She shot a look at Clary. "I assume he already told you about that?" Clary nodded, thinking. It was kind of sad to have a birthday party without receiving any presents, in her opinion. She began thinking about what she should get Jace for his birthday.

The question disturbed her as she ate mechanically. Even though she'd been friends with Jace for a long time, and fake dating him for a while, she still had no idea what Jace would want.

It continued to bother her as Simon gave her a ride home. "What's on your mind?" he asked her. "Did you fail your Spanish test?"

Clary chuckled. "Probably, but that's not what's worrying me."

"What is it, then?"

"Jace's birthday," she sighed. "I don't know what to get him."

Simon looked confused. "Didn't Izzy say not to get him anything?"

"Yeah, but it feels weird to not get someone something for their birthday."

"Clary, don't stress out about it. Just get him anything. He'll like it, and you won't be stressed."

Clary groaned, leaning her head against the window. "How do you know he'll like it?"

"He's your boyfriend. He'll like it. I mean, I eat a lot of Izzy's cooking, and even though she's almost given me food poisoning three times, I still love her."

Clary looked over at Simon, who had a goofy smile on his face. "Simon?"

"Huh?"

"I'm glad that you've found someone you love."

"I'm glad, too."

…

Even after she'd finished doing her homework, she was still looking for things she could give Jace. She flipped open her sketchbook, hoping to get some sort of idea when her eyes landed on the sketch of the angel that she'd done for Art class. An idea suddenly popped into her head, and she scrambled to the corner of her room where she kept her finished paintings.

 _Here it is._

Her hands found the painting that she'd painted a few months ago. It was a simple painting, a canvas covered in different shades of yellow. She'd painted it when she was happy, thinking that it must've been because of the New Year's festivities. Now she wondered if she'd painted it while subconsciously thinking about Jace. After all, the main streak of yellow was the exact color of Jace's eyes.

She lay down on her bed, staring at the painting. Jace had already seen it, but she hoped that wouldn't take away from the gift. The day Jace had come over was a good day. She remembered it fairly clearly. He'd woken her up at an unholy hour, and looked rifled through her most private art pieces while she got a cup of coffee. She hadn't even let Simon see some of those pieces, yet she hadn't really been disturbed when Jace had looked at them. She hadn't even really thought about it, hadn't thought about whether that was weird or not. Even before she realized that she liked Jace, he had been part of her. And because of that, she not only knew that she had to tell Jace about her feelings, she knew that she wanted to. Even if it left her hurt and a sobbing mess on her bed.

The more she thought about it, the sooner she wanted to tell him. She began planning how she'd tell him.

* * *

 **A/N: I know you guys hate me.**

 **I'm so sorry! I feel super guilty, okay? I just haven't had a lot of time to write, and I didn't really feel motivated to, either.**

 **But I've got good news: I've figured out how I want to finish this story, and I've found some motivation to write, although I might not have a lot of time to write. Hopefully that means that you guys will get the ending of this story soon, but we'll see.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I'm sorry for not updating! Don't shoot!**

 **I have a very good excuse: My copy of Lady Midnight arrived in the mail, so I was busy reading. (I actually stayed up until 6 AM to finish the book.) Also, this is a very long chapter. It was very tricky to write.**

 **The song isn't mine, it's called "Love Someone" by Jason Mraz.**

 **Clary's dress is the one that Katherine McNamara wore to the Oscar's afterparty ( /1RRTKVL) but her hairstyle is something Kat wore at another event ( /1W0oerw).**

 **Izzy's dress is this amazing thing that I've always associated with her: ( /1pTtdxJ)**

 **Maia's dress is inspired by what she wears to Luke and Jocelyn's engagement party in City of Fallen Angels.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Clary?"

Clary opened her eyes to her Izzy poking her in the side. "Izzy?" she said groggily. "What're you doing in here? How did you get in?"

"Your mom let me in," Izzy sighed as she started pulling makeup out of a duffel bag on the floor. "Get your butt up."

Clary groaned into her pillow. "What is it with you and Jace waking me up at unholy hours?"

Izzy snorted as she arranged the makeup on Clary's dresser. "Please, I had to wake up at 9 to go get Simon ready."

"How did you get out of your house?" Clary said, still confused as she checked the time. _9:58._

"I climbed out of my house and onto a tree. It wasn't actually that bad. I've done it a lot of times in the dead of night. Although it is trickier with a duffel bag."

Clary finally noticed that Izzy was dressed in jeans and boots, which were more practical than her usual outfits. "I thought we weren't going to do that," she said, frowning.

Izzy flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, well, I did it anyways." She tossed a dress in Clary's direction. "Go get changed."

Clary sighed and left Izzy in her bedroom, tiredly walking to the hallway bathroom where she sleepily brushed her teeth and changed into the dress Izzy had thrown at her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. The dress was a pleated maxi dress that ombré-d from black at the top to pink at the bottom and was decorated with flowers. However, there were many problems with this dress. The back was very low, the sides and straps were made of sheer fabric, and the biggest problem: the front was a very low V. She didn't understand how Izzy expected her to go through an entire party while wearing something with such a low neckline.

She made her way back to her room, where Izzy had pulled out another dress and was currently putting it on. It was simpler than Clary's, but more elegant, and Izzy looked gorgeous in it. The dress was a long, black column dress. Instead of a back, it had a metal snake that curved into an S shape and was attached to the front and sides of the dress with thin metal chains. The front of her dress plunged way more drastically than Clary's, but after Clary finished zipping Izzy's dress up, Clary still put her hands on her hips. "What is this dress?" she demanded.

Izzy gasped. "Clary, you look amazing!"

"No I don't," Clary said sullenly. "I'm cold and I feel like I'm naked."

"Don't worry," Izzy said laughing. "You'll get used to it. Besides, our house is super warm, so temperature won't be an issue. Now sit down and let me do your makeup. And there's the added bonus of not having to worry about pervs staring at your chest. You'll be in a room with your best friend, your boyfriend, Jordan, and two gay dudes. Actually," Izzy added as an afterthought, "I think Magnus is bi, but you don't really have to worry about him either."

"Izzy, I refuse to wear this dress –"

Izzy sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Stop being silly. You look gorgeous, and Jace won't be able to keep his hands off of you." Clary stiffened at this, but Izzy didn't notice. "So stop arguing with me. It's not like you have anything else that's semi-formal, so you're just going to have to listen to me and wear this dress."

Without waiting to hear Clary's complaints, Izzy attacked Clary's face with makeup.

…

Half an hour later, Izzy had finished doing Clary's makeup and was finishing up on Clary's hair. Izzy had decided to do messy beach waves and a single fishtail braid down the side, and when Clary stared at her reflection in the mirror, her reflection was unfamiliar to her. Instead of the hunched over artist she was used to seeing, there stood a short but beautiful petite girl. "Whoa," she breathed.

Izzy grinned at her. "Told you that you'd be gorgeous." She glanced at the alarm clock on Clary's dresser. _11:05._ "I have to go check up on Simon to make sure he hasn't messed up his suit or anything. I'll meet you outside in ten minutes." With that, Izzy threw all her makeup into her duffel bag and ran out of Clary's bedroom with her heels in her hand.

As soon as Izzy left, Clary pulled out Jace's gift and rolled the canvas up carefully. In her mind, she ran through things she wanted to say to him as she handed him the gift. _Happy Birthday. This painting reminds me of you because your eyes are gold, like this bit._ That was far too awkward, and it sounded mildly stalker-ish without any context, which is why Clary reminded herself that she had to tell Jace about everything. She had thought about doing it today, and as she stared at her reflection, she knew that if she couldn't do it today, then she might not be able to do it any other day. Taking a deep breath, she reimagined handing him the gift. She would walk up to him and say, _Jace, I need to talk to you._ She'd hand him the gift and look shyly at her feet. _Happy Birthday. You saw this painting before, when we first started fake dating. But I've been thinking… I'd like to go out with you. Not on a fake date. On a real one, if that's okay._

Her mind subconsciously rehearsed this speech as she pulled on the heels Izzy left her and carefully made her way downstairs. She wasn't as wobbly in heels anymore, which she was proud of. By the time she'd gotten downstairs, Izzy and Simon were waiting for her. "All ready?" Simon asked, checking his watch, looking mildly uncomfortable (but awkwardly handsome) in his suit.

They made their way to the Lightwood's house, with Izzy on the phone and telling Maia where to hide so Jace wouldn't see them. Simon and Clary walked down the street, Simon prepared to help Clary in case she fell. As they approached the Lightwood residence, Simon and Izzy left to take another secret shortcut as Clary walked up to their front porch and rang the doorbell.

Jace opened it a few seconds later and blinked in surprise when he saw Clary. It took him a few seconds to regain the ability to speak while Clary stood on the porch, patiently waiting (and trying not to notice how well built Jace was under that Henley). "Clary," he finally said. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he checked his watch. "I thought I was picking you up in half an hour."

"Surprise!" Maia suddenly appeared at Clary's side with Jordan on her arm. Izzy and Simon were behind them, and they started singing Happy Birthday to Jace, who looked surprised (but also mildly peeved). After they finished, Jace sighed.

"You know," he said dryly to Isabelle, "I asked Clary out today so I could avoid another one of your horrible parties."

Izzy rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm on her way into the house. Everyone followed after her, since it was cold outside. Maia had Jordan's suit jacket around her shoulders, and his dark jacket contrasted with Maia's orange satin sheath dress.

Clary walked into the house, and Jace put his arm around her. "Sorry," he muttered into her ear. "But we should probably act couple-y, since there are other people here and whatnot. I assume Izzy forced you into that dress?"

Clary could feel Jace's arm through the thin sheer material covering her sides. She nodded, feeling her face flush.

"You look nice," he whispered, letting go of her. It was odd. She felt the loss of his arm, but her skin tingled as if the ghost of Jace's arm was still around her. She set down her bag on the couch, hoping that her face wasn't still cherry red. "Do you know where Izzy is?" she asked Jace, smiling shyly at him.

"Up here!" Izzy called. Clary climbed upstairs to find Izzy in her room, surrounded by balloons. "Can you help me get these down?"

A few minutes later, all the balloons were downstairs. Izzy connected her phone to the speakers, and mainstream music started streaming out into the house. Izzy turned around, wielding Simon's phone. "Okay guys, time to take pictures!" she declared cheerily.

Everyone else groaned, but Jace moved closer to where Clary was sitting, and she instinctively rested her head on his shoulder.

Maia took a few shots of Izzy and Simon (who looked uncomfortable, yet loving) before Izzy snapped twenty photos of Jordan with Maia.

"If Izzy's college major doesn't work out, then she can always become a photographer," Jace whispered in Clary's ear.

"What does she want to become again?" Clary asked, ignoring the shiver that went down her spine.

"Last I checked, it was some sort of IT thing. Although I think she might want to become a forensic anthropologist now."

Clary nodded in approval just as Izzy turned the camera onto the two of them. "Next!" she beamed brightly.

Clary must've taken thirty photos with Jace. First, Izzy wanted a few with Jace's arm around her, then more with Clary in front of Jace, some with them facing each other and holding hands, and many other photos in various other awkward prom poses. She thought they'd never be saved when the front door started unlocking.

Jace perked up. Clary could tell that the endless photos were starting to annoy him. "That's either pizza or Alec."

It turned out to be Alec. ("So we're not safe from food poisoning yet?" Jace said sadly. Izzy punched him again.) "Sorry guys," Alec said sheepishly. "Magnus just wanted to put some final touches on his outfit," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Looking as fabulous as I do takes time, Alexander." An Asian man followed Alec through the doorway. Clary wasn't sure what she'd been expecting when she'd heard about Alec's boyfriend, but after meeting Alec, she knew she hadn't been expecting someone who was so… glittery.

He was dressed in what Clary could only describe as a boho chic sort of outfit, and his hair was covered in glitter. Along with his skin and his clothes. As Magnus took his place next to Alec, Clary could see the sunlight bouncing off of flecks of glitter that floated gently to the floor.

"You looked fine before you put in extra hair gel," Alec grumbled. " _I_ look fine, and I took less than ten minutes."

Magnus and Izzy sighed simultaneously as they eyed Alec's outfit. Alec, on the other hand, was dressed in jeans and an old sweater. "Really?" Magnus asked, somehow managing a disdainful yet loving look on his face.

"You do realize that you were supposed to wear something semi-formal to this, right?" Izzy asked exasperatedly.

"At least this sweater doesn't have any holes in it," Alec muttered. "Okay, maybe I'm a little underdressed –"

"A _little_?" Izzy asked dryly.

Alec went on as if he hadn't heard her. "But it's not the end of the world! I mean, who cares, right?"

"I care," Izzy and Magnus said simultaneously. They sounded tired, as if they'd had this conversation before.

Simon appeared next to Izzy. "Hey, Izzy. Since your brother's here, you should take his photo."

At that, Izzy and Magnus cheered up as they dragged Alec off to take cheesy prom photos.

…

While Izzy was snapping photos of Alec, Jace leaned down and whispered in Clary's ear. "I'm going to the piano room. Do you want to come with me?"

Clary nodded, and Jace took her small hand into his. Her heart skipped a beat as she followed him upstairs where a medium sized upright piano stood surrounded by many other instruments. "In addition to their obsession with art, Maryse and Robert have a slight obsession with music. Unfortunately, Alec is tone deaf and Izzy can't keep a steady beat." Jace smiled as he sat down in front of the piano. "Max is the only one with any sort of aptitude, so I try and teach him every so often."

Jace idly played a few notes as Clary sat down next to him. "Do you play any of the other instruments?"

"Not really. I've learned a bit of guitar and I can kind of play the drums. I'm also decent at the ukulele, but I'm hopeless at everything else."

Clary nodded, staring at Jace's eyes. Her heart started beating loudly in her chest, and she wondered if he could hear it, even though she knew it was impossible. _Maybe I should tell him now._ "Jace –"

Unfortunately, Simon chose that moment to barge in on them. "I thought I heard a piano," he declared triumphantly as Maia and Jordan came in behind him. He looked at Jace, startled. "I didn't know you could play."

"Most people don't," Jace said, sighing. He nodded at Jordan, who nodded back.

Simon nodded appreciatively at the racks of instruments. "You have enough instruments to form a band," he mused.

"You guys should practice here if the Lightwoods let you," Clary sighed, leaning on Jace's shoulder. It was curious, how a simple gesture like that could bring someone so much happiness.

"Nah, I wouldn't want to disturb the Lightwoods. Besides, Rock Solid Panda doesn't belong somewhere as fancy as here yet. Maybe after our next gig," Simon said hopefully.

Jordan and Maia sat on one of the chairs as Simon searched through the box of sheet music neatly labeled "Guitar & Ukulele." Halfway through the box, he chuckled to himself and pulled a few papers out, reaching for a guitar lying next to him. "What?" he asked, realizing everyone was staring at him.

"What're you doing?" Maia asked.

At this, Simon's cheeks turned a little pink. "I've never played for Izzy before, and since there's a guitar here…" He shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"That's… actually really romantic. Izzy will love that." Maia looked impressed with Simon.

Jordan cocked an eyebrow at her, his hand around her waist. "You think so?"

Maia smiled shyly and whispered something into Jordan's ear. They carried on their muffled conversation in the corner as Simon carefully figured out the chords and strumming pattern. A few moments later, Jordan joined him on the floor, singing softly under his breath.

Clary got lost staring at them with their necks craned over a small sheet of paper when Jace engulfed her hand in his. "I'd seem like a really crap boyfriend if I didn't join them, huh?" he whispered into her ear. Clary shrugged, her mind focused on Jace's hand and his breath hitting her ear. "Well, I'm not about to be outdone by Rat Face over there."

She slapped him in the arm as Jace chuckled and shoved her lightly. Clary took the signal and got up off the piano bench so that Simon and Jordan could practice with Jace in peace.

Clary and Maia had been talking in a corner for a few minutes when Izzy finally finished taking photos of Alec. "What's with the music?" she asked, oblivious.

Simon, who was supposed to be leader, looked shell-shocked when Izzy came in. Jordan rolled his eyes and elbowed him. "Right," Simon said, adjusting his glasses. He cleared his throat and counted them in.

 _Love is a funny thing  
Whenever I give it, it comes back to me  
And it's wonderful to be  
Giving with my whole heart  
As my heart receives  
Your love_

 _Oh, ain't it nice tonight we've got each other  
And I am right beside you  
More than just a partner or a lover  
I'm your friend_

 _When you love someone  
Your heartbeat beats so loud  
When you love someone  
Your feet can't feel the ground_

 _Shining stars all seem  
To congregate around your face  
When you love someone  
It comes back to you_

 _And love is a funny thing  
It's making my blood flow with energy  
And it's like an awakened dream  
As what I've been wishing for, is happening  
And it's right on time_

 _Oh ain't it nice this life, we've got each other  
And I am right beside you  
More than just a partner or a lover  
I'm your friend_

 _When you love someone  
Your heartbeat beats so loud  
When you love someone  
Your feet can't feel the ground_

 _Shining stars all seem  
To congregate around your face  
When you love someone  
When you love someone_

 _We're gonna give ourselves to love tonight  
Lifting up to touch the starlight  
And we will savor every second  
We suspend together  
You and I will  
You and I will  
You and I will_

 _When you love someone  
Your heartbeat beats so loud  
When you love someone  
Your feet can't feel the ground_

 _Shining stars all seem  
To congregate around your face  
When you love someone  
It comes back to you_ _._

Throughout the entire song, Jordan stared unabashedly at Maia, and Simon stole shy glances at Izzy, who seemed surprised. Jace, on the other hand, was mostly looking at the sheet music and the piano. Clary wasn't sure how to feel about that. Didn't Izzy say that Jace liked her? Wouldn't he look at her if that were true? Or was he just feeling a little shy?

The song ended, and Izzy practically threw herself at Simon. "You're such an adorable nerd," she said before she kissed him, her hands finding their way to the back of Simon's head. Jordan got up, grinning goofily as Maia approached him. Clary smiled, looking at her friends. One of the best feelings in the world was looking at your friends and knowing that they were happy and well cared for.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jace took a seat next to Clary, startling her. She smiled up at him, breathing in his familiar scent. It was like sunshine, citrus, and the faint smell of fabric softener. He reached for her hand and laced his fingers around hers. Her hand tingled where his skin met hers.

"Nothing much," Clary lied. "You did good."

Jace smirked down at her. "Of course I did. I'm amazing." Clary rolled her eyes at him.

She turned her head towards him. He was looking at her with an unreadable look on his face. "Jace, I –" _need to talk to you_.

But before Clary could finish her sentence, Izzy gasped loudly. "I forgot about the cake!"

The look on Jace's face was too funny. Clary had to suppress giggles as Jace stuttered, "Izzy, it's okay. You don't have to make cake. That wouldn't be very fun, would it? We should go celebrate outside."

Izzy interrupted. "We already have a cake. It's in the fridge." Seeing Jace's panicked expression, she sighed. "Don't worry. Mom made it. Although it's not like my cooking's _that_ bad."

"It is," Jace said cheerily as he got up and went downstairs.

Izzy turned to Simon, who gulped. "It totally isn't," Simon laughed nervously. "He's just joking."

"You're lucky you're cute," Izzy sighed as she made her way to the door. Everyone followed.

…

After singing "Happy Birthday," the cake was evenly distributed among the eight people and was quickly devoured. They were talking amiably when Clary suddenly remembered. "Oh right! Jace, I still need to give you your gift."

"My gift?" Jace said, as if he'd never heard of a gift before.

"And that's our cue to leave." Izzy got up and pulled Simon to his feet.

"Wait, what?" This came from Alec. "But I haven't finished my cake," he said sadly.

"Too bad," Izzy declared, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "We've already intruded on the Clace date long enough, and a birthday date is very important."

"The _what_ date?" Jace asked as he stole some cake from Alec's plate.

"Clace," Izzy said simply. "You know, Clary and Jace. Clace. It's your ship name."

Alec rolled his eyes as Jordan snickered at Jace's horrified expression. "Izzy," Alec started, "I love you, but the things you do sometimes…"

Izzy glared at Alec and Jordan, who shut up immediately. (No one gave side-eye like Isabelle Lightwood.) "Don't laugh, you've got ship names too."

"Really?" Alec asked dryly.

"Of course you do," Izzy said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You and Magnus make Malec," she said proudly, which just made Jordan laugh harder. Maia slapped him in the chest, which made him shut up. Isabelle's gaze landed on Jordan. "And you and Maia make Jaia."

Jordan and Alec looked uncomfortable while Jace piped up. "And I suppose Simon gets to avoid the humiliation because he's your boyfriend?"

Izzy looked at Simon, biting her lip. "Well, I haven't really spent time thinking about our ship name –"

Maia and Clary interrupted her at the same time. "Sizzy."

Izzy examined Simon's face, trying to see if he was uncomfortable by this. He saw her looking and shrugged. "What? It's just a ship name."

"So you're okay with it?" Izzy asked cautiously.

He smiled at her. "I'm in a gazillion fandoms. I get shipping, and it's kind of a part of life."

Izzy grinned at him, pulling him closer to her by tugging on his tie. "You're such an adorable nerd," she murmured.

"Okay!" Alec shouted, turning away from Izzy. "We can all _leave now_." After making sure Simon and Izzy weren't in the middle of a makeout session, he glared at Simon, who looked peevish.

Slowly, everyone filed out of the house, leaving Clary who was awkwardly finishing her cake. As soon as everyone was out of the house, Jace sighed and headed towards the kitchen. "Thank goodness that's over. You want a glass of water?"

Clary nodded her head as her heart started beating faster. She should take this opportunity to tell him, right? What better time would there be?

Jace returned quickly and set down Clary's glass in front of her, slipping gracefully into his seat at the same time. "So glad everyone's gone now. You look pretty, by the way."

Her heart fluttered in her chest, causing her to want to scream and overanalyze everything Jace did and said. Instead, she stuttered "Thanks," and looked down at her lap. "So, um… I have your present."

"You didn't have to do that," Jace said, shoveling yet another heap of cake into his mouth. His eyes were staring unnervingly at her.

"It's okay, I wanted to." Clary sat there awkwardly for a few more moments before she got up and retrieved the bag where her canvas was carefully rolled up. When she got back, Jace had finished his cake (and had maybe stolen a few bites from Clary's plate).

He arched an eyebrow. "You got me a purse?"

Clary rolled her eyes as she took the canvas out of her bag, careful not to ruin the present. She unfurled it onto the table in front of Jace, letting him see the painting. "Happy Birthday." Her mouth felt like sandpaper, and she could feel her heart beating in her chest.

Jace sat there, clearly shocked. "This is amazing," he breathed.

Clary shrugged nonchalantly. "It's nothing. Well," she corrected herself quickly. "It's not like it's nothing, since I'm giving it to you, and I… value you a lot as a person." Kicking herself for being so awkward, she went on. "What I'm saying is, this painting symbolizes a lot of the happiest moments in my life. And some of those moments were spent with you, and I'd like to thank you for that. And um, I feel like we need to have a talk about it. But I'm rambling. So, yeah." Her hands were scrunched in her lap, and she hoped Jace hadn't said anything, because she wasn't sure if she could hear him over the rush of blood to her face and throughout her body.

"What's there to talk about?" Jace asked. "You're an amazing friend. I can't believe you painted this for me. I'm honored. Just… wow."

Jace continued to thank her, but to Clary, everything else kind of faded out. All she could hear was _friend._ So Jace thought of her as a friend, huh? Throughout his speech, he said "friend" many more times, and every time he said it, it felt like a dagger in her heart, shattering it so that there was nothing left but dust. Izzy had said that he liked her, but to use the word "friend…" It felt like pouring salt in an open wound. Now that Clary had realized her feelings, she knew she would never use that word to describe Jace, ever. To use the word friend… To Clary, it meant the death of her potential relationship with Jace.

"… honestly, you're such an amazing friend." Jace finished.

"So that's what we are? Friends?" Clary found herself asking, as if she wanted to torture herself.

"Of course." Jace looked confused. "What else would we be?"

Clary stood up. She could feel tears coming on, and she knew she couldn't hold them in for too much longer. "I'm glad you feel like that," she said. The words felt like ice in her stomach. "Hey, um, I just remembered that my mom asked me to do something, but I'll see you at school on Monday, okay?"

Jace seemed confused. "Oh, um… okay." Before she could turn and flee, he pulled her into a hug.

Clary tensed as his arms enveloped her. She forced herself to relax, reminding herself that it was the only time when she'd be allowed to live in her fantasy, where she had told Jace about her feelings and he had liked her back. Choking back tears, she smiled at him, gathered her things, and left the Lightwood residence.

The tears wouldn't be restrained for very long. Clary ran to the curb, where she knew Jace wouldn't be able to see her from the house. Silent sobs racked her body as she sat down on the sidewalk, crumpling into a helpless heap. She hated herself for being so pathetic, but she couldn't help it.

"Clary?"

Hiccupping, Clary looked up to find a concerned looking Magnus. "Magnus," she said, surprised. She quickly wiped her face, hoping that he wouldn't ask too many uncomfortable questions. "What're you doing here?"

"I realized that I forgot my scarf," he said, groaning slightly as he took a seat next to Clary. "Alexander's waiting in the car." His gaze was slightly unnerving as he looked at Clary's puffy eyes and running makeup. "Are you alright?"

Clary did her best to muster up a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Don't lie to me, Clary. What happened between you and Jace?"

Clary sighed. Oddly enough, she wanted to tell Magnus everything. He seemed like someone who was wise beyond his years. Even though she hadn't known him for very long, he seemed trustworthy. "It's complicated."

"Alec can wait."

"It first started when Simon and Izzy started dating…" Once Clary launched into the story of how she'd started fake dating Jace, the words came out of her like water flowing out of her mouth. She explained why they fake dated because she didn't want to see her best friend ruin his relationship with the girl of his dreams. She confessed that she'd recently realized that she liked him. She told him about how she asked Izzy for relationship advice, and Izzy told her that Jace genuinely liked her. And she told him, with a few tears slipping out of her eyes, about how she'd come up with this stupid plan to tell Jace that she'd fallen hopelessly for him to find that Jace had thought of her as a friend, and nothing else. All the while, Magnus listened, nodding along. When she finished, she took a shuddering breath and smiled down at her knees. "I mean, how stupid was I to think I actually had a chance with _Jace Herondale,_ right? He's a heartbreaker."

"Clary, look at me. I haven't met you for very long, but you're an amazing and beautiful young girl. Jace would be stupid for not loving you twice as much as you love him." The words _love_ shocked Clary until she realized that was what her emotions were – love. "Even if he doesn't," Magnus continued. "It doesn't say anything about you, it just means that Jace is a very stupid boy. Trust the universe. Everything will work out in the end. I met so many people, and I fell in love so many times. In the end, they all left me." He grinned at her sadly. "Maybe one day, I'll tell you about my sob story. But only if you're lucky, biscuit." Magnus's eyes turned up towards the sky, and he continued. "Eventually, I met Alexander, and everything worked out. So even though it kind of feels like it right now, it's not the end of the world. Everything will be okay someday."

"Thanks, Magnus," she whispered.

He looked at her sternly. "You do need to tell him about your feelings, though. Don't live a lie. I've been there before, and trust me, it's not good for you."

"How could I?" she asked him. "I can't. Could you?" She looked at him, hopeless. "What would you do?" _How do I do this?_

Magnus laughed humorlessly. "Sugar plum, if you knew my sob story, you wouldn't come to me for advice. But I can tell you, that in this hypothetical situation – even though I have no idea how I would find myself in this hypothetical situation – I would end things with him. I don't think I could continue to be in a fake relationship with someone I really liked, possibly loved, if they didn't feel the same way about me." He shrugged. "But it's a personal choice."

Clary nodded, turning things over in her head. "I can't thank you enough."

Magnus winked at her as he got up, brushing himself off. "Don't worry about it."

Her mind was whirling, but as Magnus headed towards the Lightwood house, she called out to him. "Hey, Magnus?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Please don't tell Jace about any of this."

"I'd never dream of doing that."

She nodded, and started making her way back home. The sun was starting to set, bathing the world in a warm, orange glow. How strange that the world could still be so beautiful and inviting while one despaired. The day was starting to bring the chilly night, and Clary wrapped her arms around herself, half-wishing that they were Jace's, half-hating herself for fantasizing. Every so often, a sob would escape her mouth or a tear would roll down her cheek, but Clary fought it, holding herself together as well as she could. She reached her house, letting herself in. Luckily, Jocelyn and Luke were nowhere to be seen, and Jon wasn't home either. Her eyes started to water as she stumbled into her room. With silent tears streaming down her face, she pulled out her phone and texted Jace, feeling empty as her fingers tapped out the message. The text seemed uncomfortably bright, so Clary turned her phone off. She lay down on her bed, looking at the ceiling while sobs tore through her body.

Clary: _We need to talk._

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so that happened.  
**

 **I'm sorry.**

 **To all you Clace shippers, I'm really sorry. I know this story didn't go where you want it to. I'm just going to give you a warning: there will be tears. There will NOT be a happy ending. Still not sure how exactly I want to end it, but the one thing I'm certain of is that Clace won't be together at the end of this fic. Just thought you should know.**

 **Sorry.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**

 **(But like, review if you want to have a conversation about Lady Midnight because OMFG.)**

 **(Posted on 4/1/2016)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I'm sorry for being so inactive. Writer's block got worse, but I managed to finish this chapter.**

* * *

She sat in Taki's, nervously tapping her cup of coffee as she waited for Jace.

Last night, she'd asked Jace to talk with her in person. She wasn't one to break up with someone over the phone. It was the worst thing you could do. So even though it was a fake relationship, Clary still had to meet up with Jace to let him know.

She wasn't sure how she wanted to go about doing this, but the last time she planned a conversation with Jace, it left her with tears and broken hopes. Sighing, she absentmindedly sipped her coffee.

"Hey," Jace said, slipping into the chair across from her. His hair was ruffled by the wind, which caused Clary's heart to squeeze painfully. Talking to him in person was hard enough, but his attractiveness made it harder. "What did you want to talk about?" There was a confused and concerned look in his eyes, causing Clary to feel a flurry of mixed emotions.

"Nothing, it's just…" She looked down at her coffee. "I'm going to say a bunch of stuff, and you can't interrupt me, okay?"

He looked startled and even more confused. It made him look a lot cuter in Clary's opinion, but she did her best to ignore it. "Um, sure… I guess. What's up?"

"I think I like you," she blurted out. Seeing Jace's shocked expression drove a knife into her chest. It was a look of pure surprise, like he never expected her to actually like him. Of course he didn't. She gave him no reason to think that, and she supposed he thought of her as a little sister. Everyone seemed to think of her that way. "Don't interrupt," she said quickly, as Jace was about to open his mouth. "Just… don't. If you do, I'm not going to be able to get through this entire thing without crying, and my eyes are puffy enough."

"Clary –"

"Just stop," she said, cutting him off. "I came here to tell you that I like you, but I know you don't like me back. I know I'm just a friend to you, and that's okay. Which is why I think we should stop fake dating." In her peripheral vision, she saw Jace inhale sharply. "I'm totally cool with being friends, but I need a little time." She nodded to herself, still staring at her coffee. Clary couldn't bring herself to look at Jace. She knew if she did, she'd burst into tears and she wanted to keep a little bit of her dignity when she left Taki's.

"Also, I'd prefer if we never talked about this. Never." Even now, she could feel the tears coming, unbidden. "Thanks for being a great friend," she let out before she got up and walked quickly out of the diner.

"Clary, wait –"

She didn't wait for him to finish. The diner door closed behind her, and she started to run home.

…

Her mother had asked her if she was okay when she locked herself up in her room. Half an hour later, Jocelyn Fray had knocked at Clary's door, letting her know that there was a carton of Ben and Jerry's at the door. As her mother's footsteps pattered away from her room, she unlocked her door and picked up the carton. Sometimes, her mother was infuriating, but at other times, she was a beacon of light when all else was dark.

Clary sat on her bed, huddled with the carton of Chunky Monkey while re-watching a book to TV-show adaptation on Freeform. It had done alright, especially since it had just been the first season. She had high hopes for the next season. While she was watching, her phone started buzzing. She glanced down at it. Realizing who it was, she quickly turned her eyes back to her laptop screen, shoveling ice cream into her mouth.

 _Jace_.

She knew it was kind of rude for her to run away like that instead of giving Jace a chance to speak, but the tears were about to slip out of her eyes. Besides, what good could've come from staying? It would've been awkward. If she was in Jace's position, she wasn't sure what she'd say. After all, wh

at do you tell someone who likes you when you don't like them back?

It was still a strange idea – her liking Jace – but it was no longer unwelcome. How ironic, that it had become an acceptable idea when she had to stop loving him.

She finished another episode – the one where the main character's love interest was revealed to be her brother – and sighed. She'd read the book, so it was only a mild nuisance. She knew it would turn out okay in the end. They'd end up together, because they weren't actually siblings. If only life was as simple as YA fiction, where endings were guaranteed to be happy. No matter what happened, the main characters would always survive, and they would always be together.

"Clary?" Her mother's voice was muffled by the door.

"What?" she managed to croak out. She hadn't realized her voice was so raspy from all the crying.

"There's someone here to see you."

A bolt of fear tore through her, ripping the broken pieces of her heart apart and leaving the shreds to sink into her stomach. "Who is it?"

"It's Jace. He says he knows you from school?"

On one hand, she didn't want to put herself through more pain. On the other hand, she knew she would have to talk to him eventually. If she waited until then, things would be even more awkward, and she wasn't sure if it was more beneficial for her to get it over with, or to wait.

"I'm busy," she croaked out.

"I told him that, but he's very insistent." Her mother seemed apologetic. "He says it's an emergency." There was a moment of silence before Jocelyn Fray spoke up again. "He seemed frantic. I think you should talk to him," she said softly.

She bit on her lip, thinking.

"Clary?" Her mother's voice came through the door again.

"Send him up," she said quietly.

As she heard her mother's footsteps go downstairs, she frantically cleaned her room. The dress that she'd worn to Jace's birthday yesterday was still draped over a chair, and it looked like a tornado had gone through her room. She didn't have time to worry about that, though. Her eyes were swollen, and her cheeks were stained with tears. The floor was littered with dirty tissues, and her hair was a tangled mess.

She quickly threw all of the tissues into the trashcan and pulled her hair into a messy bun. Clary darted to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face, hoping that it would make her eyes seem less swollen. By the time she went back to her room, Jace was sitting on her bed.

Even though she was determined kill her feelings for him, her heart still leapt at the sight of him. He seemed so vulnerable, sitting on her bed slouched over. His hair was all mussed up, and his golden eyes seemed so heavy. She cursed herself for noticing. "What's up?" she asked, trying to sound as lighthearted as possible.

"Clary." He jumped up from her bed, as if he were doing something horribly wrong. He stood there awkwardly. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." He ran his hand through his hair, clearly conflicted. "I came here to ask you if you're determined to end things…"

It felt like a dagger being driven through her. "Jace, I told you I didn't want to talk about it…"

Jace went on, as if she hadn't said anything. "… because I feel the same way about you."

A wave of confusion hit Clary, along with that insistent scrap of hope. "Excuse me?"

As he stepped towards her, she could see the vulnerability in his face. Jace was close enough for her to see flecks of gold in his eyes. "You're not the only one, Clary," he said awkwardly, scratching his head. "I like you too. But if you don't want to do this, then that's fine. I understand. I promise I won't bother you or anything anymore –"

She cut him off by tiptoeing and crashing her lips to his. He seemed surprised at first, but he responded quickly. She'd daydreamed about this moment, and although it wasn't anything she thought it'd be, it was better than she dreamed. He was gentle and careful with her, as if he was scared of breaking her, or scared that she'd change her mind and leave. Her fingers traced his jawline, his cheekbones, everything she'd always wanted to draw but had been unable to.

Eventually, they broke apart. To Clary, it had seemed like both an eternity and a few seconds at the same time. Jace's pupils were dilated and he seemed to be as breathless as she felt. His hands were around her, and she could feel the _thump-thump_ of his heart as he pressed her close to him, as if he was afraid that she'd be taken from him. As she stared up at him, she thought her heart would explode with how much she cared for him.

"How could I?" she asked. Jace looked down at her, clearly confused and slightly dazed. "How could I not want to be with you when you're all I think about at night?"

He grinned at her. "You think about me?"

"Of course I do," she said, rolling her eyes and slapping his chest. "Don't let that go to your ego."

"I think about you too," he whispered while looking down at her.

"Really?"

"How could I not, when you're the highlight of my day? How could I not, when your presence makes me smile? How could I not, when everything about everyone else reminds me of you?"

She looked at him and grinned. "That was kind of cheesy, but I appreciate the general sentiment."

"I can't help it, doll. You make me feel all cheesy inside."

She shuddered in his arms. "Ew. No. No pet names. And stop being so cliché."

He looked apologetically down at her. "Sorry. I guess it's just habit." He cleared his throat. "Although, in all seriousness, I like you a lot, Clary. I've liked you for a long time."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really, now? Since when?"

He chuckled and shifted his arms around her waist. "I've lost count of the days. But definitely before New Year's, when I asked you out."

"Fake-asked-me-out," Clary corrected.

He grinned and lowered his head in submission. "How about you?" he asked, his eyes curious.

"How _about_ me?" she asked, purposefully avoiding his question.

"When did you realize you couldn't resist my amazing charm anymore?"

Clary rolled her eyes and sighed. "Remember that Valentine's Day date where we had dinner outside and stargazed?"

He seemed pleased with himself. "Really?"

"Don't let that get to your head, either."

"I wasn't planning on letting it. I was just going to ask you if you'd like to do that again next weekend, but as a real couple." There was hope in his eyes.

Clary feigned hesitance. "I don't know… I might need some persuading."

He laughed, pulling her close to him again. Their lips met, softly and sweetly, unlike their first kiss, which had been tentative. Being in Jace's arms felt like adventure and security all rolled into one, and her skin tingled as he held her. He seemed more confident now, although his hands stayed safely above her waist like a gentleman.

When they came apart for air, Clary grinned at him. "You're a very persuasive man. I guess I _might_ have time for a date next week."

He chuckled, shaking his head. His eyes were soft as he looked at her and whispered, "That's good," before pulling her close for another kiss.

* * *

 **A/N: THE A/N IN THE LAST CHAPTER WAS AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE, OKAY GUYS?  
**

 **So I think that this will be the end of Just Another Clace AU for the moment; I don't think I'll have anymore time for fanfiction during the rest of the school year. Between finals, tests, violin, and other stuff, I'm running out of time to sleep, let alone write.  
**

 **But I'll edit this story to have it make more sense sometime during the summer. I've kind of realized that there's a better way for Clace to fake date, so I might change a little bit of the plot, but nothing _too_ significant. They'll still have a fake relationship, and they'll still realize that they like each other a lot. **

**I'll also go back and correct the grammar mistakes, so check on this story in a few months; it'll be a different story by the end of July (hopefully).**

 **I also don't know if I should write a Sizzy-centered fic or a Victorian/fairytale sort of fic next. Review and let me know, and if you have any prompts (either for a one-shot or for a full length fic), then please share.**

 **Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.**


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